Deus Patronus
by Infinity1
Summary: Updated Nov 30: An OMG fanfiction, which introduces and mainly follows the life of an original character, who isn't exactly what he thinks he is. See my profile for updates
1. Prologue

E-mail: kipp_loong@yahoo.com  
Homepage: www.geocities.com/kipp_loong/  
  
= thought  
()=author's opinion  
{number}= explanation at the bottom  
  
Disclaimers: Oh! My Goddess (Oh! My Goddess, Ah! Megami-sama, and   
whatever else they call it) is owned by Kosuke Fujishima and Kodansha.   
English translations are owned by Dark Horse Comics. The work that I am   
doing is in no way used for profit, nor am I taking credit for the   
characters. This is purely for entertainment.  
  
Kipp Long and Hikari Amatsu are my own creations and are not to be   
reproduced with out my permission.  
  
The Japanese Specialized Self Defence Force: Supernatural Division   
does not actually exist and is a figment of this author's imagination,   
therefore making it my own creation.  
  
So without further ado, I present to you...  
  
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[  
  
|nfinity Corps is   
  
Proud to Present  
  
An Ah! My Goddess! Fanficiton  
  
Deus Patronus:  
  
Prologue  
  
By:  
  
Jeffrey Chow  
  
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[  
  
July 11, 12:30 a.m.   
  
Under the glowing brilliance of the silver moon, the shimmering   
beauty of the sparkling stars, a figure, covered by the shadows, ran   
through the darkened bamboo grove around it. Darting swiftly and   
quietly, the shadow moved with purpose... until a voice sounded in its   
ear.  
  
"Captain, 200 meters ahead of you should be a clearing with a pond   
in it, that is Alpha point," the female voice instructed.  
  
"Destination confirmed," the shadow replied with a deep masculine   
voice.  
  
"Captain?" the voice inquired.  
  
"Yeah?" the figure asked, curiously, just as he entered the   
clearing.  
  
The moon's silver brilliance briefly illuminated the captain,   
displaying pure black hair, parted on ether side, and hardened brown   
eyes. His shadow reflected his slender, yet well muscled body. He was   
tall, standing around 180 cm, head shoulders above many of his fellow   
people.  
  
His loose black clothing moved slightly in the soft breeze,   
causing him to shift slightly. As he walked towards the pond in the   
middle of the clearing, his hand reached down to shift a sword hilt   
attached to his black leather belt. His hand rested briefly on the   
green jewelled pommel, almost as he seemed to take comfort in knowing   
that his weapon was still there, but one had to wonder what he was   
going to do with a sword hilt when he already had two holstered pistols  
at his sides.  
  
As he stood over the pond, he marvelled at his own reflection, and   
how different it seemed whenever he was on a mission. Many had told him   
that his eyes seemed harder, almost like glittering brown rocks, but he   
had never noticed that himself. His lips were different from the easy   
going smile he usually wore, now, they were just lines on his face,   
unmoving and emotionless. Shrugging to himself, the young man shifted   
the black satchel that was slung over his shoulder, and bent down to   
take a drink.  
  
He was Captain Kipp Long of the Japanese Specialized Self Defence   
Force: Supernatural Division, and he'd be damned if anybody was going to   
stop him from taking a brief drink, while his intelligence officer   
worked out where he was supposed to go. It should be noted that Fate   
rarely ever allows anybody to have a nice quiet break in peace.  
  
"Kipp, as your friend..." the voice began.  
  
"And as my annoying 'imouto,' right Hikari Amatsu?" Kipp teased.  
  
"Um, well, ah..." Hikari stuttered in anger.  
  
"Don't deny it Hikari! I know you think of me as such!" Kipp   
chuckled. "And don't be fooled, you're not going to get to beat me when   
I get back!"  
  
"Now you listen here Buster! You are a sixteen year old, very   
intelligent, and a decent looking guy. Shouldn't you be going to school   
like the rest of us, rather then doing this stuff all day long?" Hikari   
asked, turning her anger into determination.  
  
"I finished High School when I was fourteen{2}," was Kipp's simple   
answer, his amusement dimming slightly.  
  
"What about University?" Amatsu persisted.  
  
"Maybe, when I can actually fit in," Kipp whispered longingly.  
  
"What do you mean?" Hikari asked, concern showing in her voice.  
  
"Have you ever seen a sixteen-year old in a University?" Kipp   
asked, a tired sort of humour in his voice.  
  
"Ohhh, is the great, brave Kipp Long afraid of people?" Hikari   
teased, grinning slightly.  
  
"No, not really," Kipp answered, flushing. "Besides, if I leave,   
I'll deprive you of your beloved aniki!!"  
  
"You are not older then me!" Hikari growled.   
  
"Yes I am!! I'm exactly one month, two days, and five seconds   
older then you!! Anyway, back to business, where are the targets?" Kipp   
asked, taking a quick drink from the pond as Hikari checked the maps.   
"Bleah, warm!"  
  
"To your left... almost a kilometre away," Hikari answered. "And   
that number isn't right, you're only a month an a day older then me,"   
the girl sniffed haughtily.  
  
"Confirmed, I'm heading out... I'm still older then you." Kipp   
grinned.  
  
"It's only a month!! Who cares?" Hikari yelled, infuriated with   
her best friend.  
  
"Yes, who does care?" Kipp asked, mentally projecting a wink to   
Hikari. "Commencing radio silence, talk to you in a bit!"  
  
"Don't you dare!!!" Hikari managed to scream, before Kipp turned   
off the earpiece and dashed back into the grove, missing the figure that   
jumped out of the pond moments later.   
  
***  
  
Leaping out of the pond, Skuld pulled out an odd looking scanner   
from subspace, and began fiddling with it. Standing about 160 cm, the   
'14' year old goddess had an average body. Her long raven hair almost   
reached her ankles and had a wild, exotic look. She wore her regular   
'goddess' garb, which was pink and red, and extremely cute, or would   
have been if she looked 12, but she looked fourteen, and that made it   
almost seductive and suggestive. Along her back, her croquet like   
hammer was strapped.   
  
After some fiddling, Skuld finally managed to locate whatever she   
was looking for.  
  
"I'll show them I'm not a kid!" she cried, before rushing off into   
the grove, hammer overhead. Coincidentally enough (coincidence my ass   
^_~), it was the same direction Kipp had run off in.  
  
***  
  
July 11, 12:40 a.m.   
  
"Great, just great," Kipp muttered to himself.  
  
Hiding behind a tree, Kipp could only glare at the source of his   
trouble. Standing in a very large clearing, five demonic creatures   
stood around a large fire. Four of the five were nearly identical, with   
five large claws where fingers would have been on a man. Each was   
humanoid, but stood over two meters tall, with bodies made of muscle.   
Covered in red leathery skin, the four sat hunched around the first,   
their sharp teeth and glowing red eyes both seemed to want to tear into   
the fifth.  
  
The fifth demon was different then the rest in more ways then the   
obvious physical differences. While it was of the same height as the   
others, it was also massively more muscled, seeming to be made   
completely of solid muscle. It had five fingers, each ending in long   
nail like claws. Its legs had three separate joints, and only two toes   
on its foot, but it seemed to have been made for speed. At first, one   
would have thought the creature had white/platinum hair, but a closer   
examination would show that they were actually very thin, very fine   
bones, each ending in a razor point. But the most frightening feature   
about the creature were it's red serpent like eyes that seemed speak of   
death to any who looked directly into them.  
  
"Just once, that's all I ask, just once, why can't those morons at   
Intel do something right?" Kipp muttered to himself.  
  
Unslinging his satchel, Kipp quickly armed himself. Five grenades   
were clipped to his belt, along with four clips of glowing blue 'energy'   
packs. Unholstering the pistols revealed them to be mystical   
equivalents of guns. Shaped similarly to the modern 9mm pistols, the   
weapons were covered in eldritch symbols and arcane runes. These 'guns'   
were quickly loaded with the two remaining clips, then reholstered.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Kipp closed his eyes and began to chant.  
  
"Fire, Wind, Water, Earth.  
Light, Wood, Dark, Metal,  
Elements of Magic,  
Infuse within me  
The Power to See  
That Hidden for Mortal Eyes,  
MYSTIC VISION"  
  
Although the last words were whispered, they rang with power.   
When Kipp opened his eyes, they glowed for the briefest of moments, the   
purest of white, before returning to normal, but then the magic had   
already taken affect. Shaking his head, Kipp took another look at the   
demons, and groaned. Using the power of the Mystic Vision, Kipp could   
see the power of each of the hell spawns, and it wasn't good.   
  
"Great, just great. Four Twelfth Class demons, and a fucking   
Ninth   
Class! Just what I need," he groaned again before turning his earpiece   
back on.  
  
"You have reached the home of Kipp Long, but he's not in right   
now, this is his incredibly sexy and adorable imouto Hikari speaking.   
How may I help you?" Hikari's voice came, incredibly sweet and   
incredibly sarcastic.   
  
"I'm very tempted to hate you," Kipp growled before returning to   
the business at hand. "I need reinforcements, now. I've got four   
Twelves and one BLOODY NINTH!"   
  
"Wait, wait, wait! Intel said there were only two Twelves and one   
Tenth, and where are the hostages?"  
  
"First of all, the guys at Intelligence are idiots and are rarely   
reliable. Second, I don't see the hostages, but they could have been   
hidden away," Kipp replied, doubt evident in his voice.   
  
"You're not sure," it was a statement, not an answer.  
  
"I pray for their safety, and I will KILL those bastards if they   
hurt those hostages in even the slightest way," Kipp answered   
vehemently.   
  
"Be careful, backup'll be there soon. Until then, hang tight,"   
Hikari said, concern overpowering professionalism.  
  
"Hurry up," was Kipp's simple reply, before the earpiece was once   
again deactivated.  
  
Heaving a sigh, Kipp leaned against his tree, and turned to face   
the direction he had come from. He would have relaxed, if his Mystical   
Vision didn't reveal a most disconcerting sight.  
  
"KUSO! A Second Class God!" He almost screamed, then turned back   
to the demons.  
  
Making brief calculations and measurements, Kipp compared the   
demon's combined aura to that of the divinity's. After several minutes   
of thinking, Kipp came to a startling conclusion.   
  
"The divinity's power is being blocked! Chikuso, Merlin-sensei   
said something about this, the Seals{3} I think he called them. Kuso!   
Kuso! KUSO! It'll be killed!" Kipp gasped.  
  
Making up his mind, Kipp pulled out two of the grenades, pulled   
the pins, and threw.  
  
***  
  
Since she had only had her older body for a few months, Skuld was   
unaccustomed to the balance and abilities that came with it, hence her   
slow running speed. Still, she was quite content with herself as she   
took a trip down memory lane.  
  
**Flashback**  
  
It's a beautiful white Christmas morning as the Norns, Keiichi and   
Megumi sat around the table eating breakfast. As typical, Keiichi and   
Belldandy were sitting besides each other, busy feeding each other. Urd   
was also typically trying to get Keiichi and Belldandy into bed with   
each other. Skuld, still in her younger form was busy arguing   
with Urd, glaring at Keiichi, and being extremely giddy about Christmas   
(as only a kid could be... AHHHHH!! Get that mallet away from me!).   
All of this came to a halt when the phone rang, picked itself up and   
projected the caller's dignified and powerful voice into the room.   
  
"NORNS, IT IS I," Kami-sama announced himself.  
  
Instantly all eyes turned to Urd who had become ramrod straight   
at Kami-sama's entrance.  
  
"I didn't do anything!" she protested, of course everyone was   
still sceptical, but their attention returned to the phone.  
  
"URD IS CORRECT, I DID NOT CALL BECAUSE OF HER," Kami-sama's voice   
rang out.  
  
"Then why did you call, Lord?" Belldandy worriedly asked, while   
Urd heaved a great sigh of relief.  
  
Keiichi noticed Belldandy's worry and gave her hand a reassuring   
squeeze.  
  
"NOR HAVE I CALLED BECAUSE OF YOU, CHILD," Kami-sama reassured,   
seeming as if he had seen Keiichi squeeze Belldandy's hand, which he   
probably had.  
  
"Then why are you calling Father?" Belldandy asked with a small   
smile, caused from the knowledge that she could remain with her beloved.   
  
"I AM CALLING BECAUSE OF YOUNG SKULD."  
  
Everyone gasped and turned to Skuld, who wasted no time in rushing   
into Belldandy's arms. Belldandy tried to sooth her little sister, even   
Urd and Keiichi tried, but the young goddess was not to be snapped out   
of her fright.  
  
"DO NOT FEAR LITTLE ONE, I HAVE COME WITH JOYOUS NEWS,"   
Kami-sama's voice took on a reassuring, soothing, and happy tone (more   
so then usual), as if sensing the young girl's fright, which he probably   
did.   
  
"SKULD OF THE NORNS, IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT AS A MORTAL   
PLANE TRAINEE, YOU ARE TO LEARN OF MORTALS AND THEIR WAYS. YET THE ONLY   
WAY FOR YOU TO DO SO IS FOR YOU TO GROW BOTH MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY AND   
SOCIALLY AS THEY DO. SINCE I CAN NEITHER ALTER THE WAY YOU THINK, NOR   
THE WAY YOU INTERACT WITH OTHERS, I HAVE DECIDED TO DO THAT WHICH I CAN.   
I AM THEREFORE ALLOWING YOUR MORTAL MANIFESTATION TO GROW TO FOURTEEN   
MORTAL YEARS OF AGE!"  
  
Everyone once again turned to Skuld, who could only stare at the   
phone in shock.  
  
"OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, YOUR BODY SHALL GROW UNTIL IT HAS   
REACHED THE APPROPRIATE AGE. AFTERWARDS, IT SHALL CONTINUE TO AGE BY   
MORTAL STANDARDS FOR THE REST OF THE DURATION OF YOU TRAINING," Kami-  
sama elaborated.  
  
"But what of the mortals who know not of our powers?" Urd asked,   
smoothing Skuld's hair with her hand.  
  
"WORRY NOT FOR OVER THE TIME OF HER GROWTH, THE MEMORY OF ALL   
MORTALS WHO KNOW NOT OF YOUR GODDESSHOOD SHALL BE ALTERED SLIGHTLY TO   
COVER HER SUDDEN GROWTH, SO I SAY," and with that said, the phone   
returned to its cradle.  
  
"MARRY CHRISTMAS, MY CHILD,"  
  
**End Flashback**  
  
Skuld was suddenly brought out of her reverie by a blast of ice   
magic in the distance. Almost instantly after, a blast of wind magic   
followed.  
  
"That wasn't Demonic energy... oh no!" she exclaimed.  
  
Pushing all other thoughts out of her head, Skuld picked up her   
pace and quickly ran through the spring air, dread filling her soul.  
  
***  
  
July 10, 1:00 am  
  
The first grenade exploded in a shower of frozen spikes, freezing   
everything they touched. All five of the demons were struck, but for   
the leader and three of its minions managed to free themselves. The   
fourth wasn't so luck as the second grenade exploded in a fury of razor   
sharp winds. In a matter of seconds, it was reduced to a fine powder   
of icy gore.  
  
"Who are you? Show yourself!" the leader commanded in a deep   
guttural voice, even as his three remaining minions moved into better   
attack positions.  
  
"Where are the hostages?" Kipp asked, still hidden from view   
behind the trees.  
  
The demon suddenly grinned a feral sort of grin as it pointed into   
the middle   
of the clearing, over the large fire.  
  
"You didn't," Kipp whispered as he saw the large cauldron   
previously hidden from view.  
  
"We did, and let me tell you, they were delicious," the demon   
replied, malice filling its voice. "Those stories were correct,   
human children do taste better then their parents"  
  
"Hope you enjoyed it, because it was your last meal! Prepare to   
DIE!" Kipp screamed as his fury took over.  
  
Grabbing a third grenade, Kipp pulled the pin and threw the   
magical explosive. Upon impact the grenade blew apart, sending chunks   
of dirt all over the clearing.  
  
"That was pathetic," the leader spat, disgusted.  
  
"The show's just starting," Kipp snarled back, just as the ground   
started to quake.  
  
The full might of the earth elemental grenade came into effect as   
the raw magic within the dirt began to work. Massive spikes of jagged   
stone burst from the ground, impaling one of the unlucky demons, and   
hurting the others.  
  
"Better, but still useless," the leader grumbled, watching as the   
impaled demon tried to free itself.  
  
"It's not over," Kipp replied, gleefully rubbing his hands   
together.  
  
Suddenly, the dozens of jagged spires began to shake and tremble,   
huge cracks began forming in the stone as well. Then as if a final act   
of retribution, every single one of the spikes exploded in a massive   
spray of dust and deadly stone shrapnel. The demon that had previously   
been impaled was torn to shreds, while the others were pelted with   
thousands of stone shards.  
  
"That deadly enough!" Kipp asked, grinning evilly.  
  
"You're dead!" the leader roared at his hidden opponent. "I shall   
enjoy feasting on your heart!"  
  
"Go ahead and try!" Kipp cried as he rushed into the open, guns   
blazing.  
  
Blue/white bolts of magic exploded from each nozzle, three in   
total, and slamming into one of the two remaining demon's head. As the   
demon stumbled back, clutching its face, Kipp fired six more bolts into   
the creature's chest, causing it to fall onto its back, its soul   
vanquished back to the pits of Hell.  
  
"Kill him, but bring me his heart!" the leader gestured to its   
last remaining minion, hatred burning in its eyes.   
  
The last remaining Twelfths Class demon ran straight at Kipp,   
claws ready to tear into his flesh.  
  
"Up close and personal, just the way I like it," Kipp growled,   
pulling a string attached to the strip of metal.  
  
Instantly, the strip extended on both ends by 24 cm. Once locked   
into place, two more pieces of metal flew out from the bottom and the   
top, on opposite sides, of the strip's length. Both were half the   
length of the fully extended original and were attached to a pivot in   
the centre of the original's insides. The two swung in a circular   
motion, going from one side to the other, forming a large circular   
shield.  
  
"If you think a flimsy piece of metal will stop me, think again!"   
the attacking demon growled in a deep, wet voice.  
  
"Just you try!" Kipp retorted, raising his shield in defence.  
  
The demon roared once before unleashing a fury of attacks with its   
claws. Surprisingly enough, the metal shield didn't even receive a   
scratch from the abuse it was receiving, although Kipp was having a   
hard time fighting the demon's strength.  
  
"Impossible! My claws can cut through reinforced steel!" the   
demon cried in disbelief.  
  
"Yeah, but can they cut through Mythril?" Kipp retorted, unloading   
twelve shots into the demon's face, stilling it.  
  
"Mythril! That's not possible! The skills and the process were   
lost thousands of years ago!" the leader cried in disbelief.  
  
"Fourteen thousand to be correct, and it was at the same time of   
the fall of Atlantis!" Kipp retorted.  
  
"We sunk Atlantis! One of our great demons did so!" the leader   
returned, before understanding sunk in.  
  
"That's right, we found Atlantis and all of its secrets," Kipp   
gloated, reloading his pistols.  
  
"Then we'll just have to sink the secrets again! Rise my demons!   
Rise and kill him!" the demon roared, raising his fist into the air.  
  
At its command, two pits opened in the ground and a dozen more   
Twelfth Class demons crawled out of the holes before they closed, each   
identical to the first four.  
  
"Say hello to my army!" the leader bellowed, pointing a clawed   
finger at Kipp. "Kill him my warriors!!!"  
  
"Hi! Bye!" Kipp retorted, throwing a fourth grenade.  
  
Landing amidst the demons, the grenade exploded in a fiery display   
of pyrotechnics. From the shell, dozens of flaming tendrils whipped   
out, striking wildly around, burning off limbs that touched it. And if   
that wasn't enough, a ring of flaming pillars appeared and began   
spiralling outward. By the time the magic died down, half of the demons   
had been incinerated. The other half were quickly dispatched with three   
of the four remaining pistol clips.  
  
"One clip left, and only one demon left... plenty of bullets,"   
Kipp remarked.  
  
"Only one?" the demon remarked, amusement dancing within its fiery   
eyes.. "Count again."  
  
Suddenly, two more humanoid demons appeared behind the leader.   
Both were at least 2 meter in height, with frames more muscular then the   
Twelfth Class demons. Both had black leathery hides, and bat like   
wings. There hands were covered in masses of spiked bones and their   
ribs protruded from their chest. For feet, the two had three taloned   
toes. Their heads were grotesque mockeries of humans, bloated and   
twisted. Two long yellow tusks grew from their cheeks, and a pair of   
crimson red eyes gleamed with blood lust. Using the aid of his Mystic   
Vision, which was still active, Kipp groaned at the two newcomers.   
  
"Just what I bloody need! Two Tenth Class demons!" Kipp muttered,   
before taking aim with his pistol.  
  
But before Kipp could fire, the two demons spread their wings and   
took to the air. Swooping around, the two circled Kipp a few times   
before lunging in for the kill. Having only one loaded pistol, Kipp   
could only shoot at one while blocking the other. Pretty soon the ammo   
from the gun was depleted. Dropping the gun, Kipp reached for the   
sword hilt before he was knocked off his feet from a blast of dark   
magic.  
  
"Forget about little old me?" the leader taunted, glaring at the   
human.  
  
"Thanks for the reminder," Kipp hissed between clenched teeth.  
  
"Finish him, but remember, his heart is mine to feast upon," the   
leader called to the two flying demons.  
  
Kipp could only raise his shield in a futile attempt of defence   
before he was attacked by the flying duo. He would have been killed   
too, if a certain goddess hadn't interfered.  
  
"Skuld Bomb!" Skuld cried as she threw one of her explosives at   
the flying fiends.  
  
Although being a goddess in training, Skuld made up with her lack   
of magical talent with her incredible aptitude with technology, of   
course that does make a lot of sense for a goddess of the Future. This   
ability was demonstrated greatly as her Skuld Bomb managed to vaporize   
both of the Tenth Class demons.  
  
"Are you okay?" she asked as she knelt by Kipp's battered body.  
  
"Yeah sure... Goddess," Kipp replied, grinning despite the pain.  
  
"How?" Skuld asked, bewildered.  
  
"Are we forgetting someone, oh Divine One?" the leader asked,   
filling the last words with enough venom to poison all the oceans on   
Earth.  
  
"Prepare to be banished demon!" Skuld yelled as she charged the   
monster with her hammer.  
  
"Cute words coming from such a cute goddess, but you're only a   
trainee," the demon declared, proving his statement by blasting Skuld   
with another one of its Dark Blasts. "Perhaps I shall "train" you   
myself!" the demon said, leering openly at Skuld.  
  
"Arigato gozaimasu," Kipp whispered before getting back on his   
feet. Kipp silently promised.  
  
Closing his eyes, Kipp concentrated for a moment before opening   
them again. Small sparkles of light left them as the Mystic Vision was   
finally disabled.   
  
"Pay back time," he muttered to himself as he began concentrating.   
  
Placing his palms opposite each other and he began to gather his   
magical energies again.  
  
"Spirits of the elements, I summon thee!  
To fulfill the ancient agreement,   
Help me fight the evil that holds our world!  
The evil that corrupts, the evil that defiles,   
The evil that destroys!"  
  
At Kipp's command, sparks of blue, green, yellow and red began   
flowing into the area between his palms forming a multicoloured ball of   
energy.   
  
"Undine! Spirit of Water, I call upon thee!  
Sylph! Spirit of Wind, I call upon thee!  
Salamander! Spirit of Fire, I call upon thee!  
Gnome! Spirit of Earth, I call upon thee!"  
  
Slowly, the sparks began to grow bigger and take on shapes. The   
reds appeared to be flaming slender males shroud in flames wielding   
swords of fire. The blues took on the appearance of elven women wearing   
blue robes, an orb of blue between their hands. The yellows looked like   
large muscular men wearing massive plates of armour. The greens began   
to appear as agile women wearing ceremonial armour and wielding spears.   
  
"Spirits of the Four Elements,   
Lend me your strength, your courage, your wisdom, your power!  
The Power to Heal!  
The Power to Strengthen!  
The Power to Fight!  
The Power to Protect!"  
  
Slowly the spirits began to combine into the energy between Kipp's   
hands, the light almost blinding.  
  
"Spirits of the Elements,   
Release thy power, surrender thy will unto me!  
Combine thy might and Cleanse the World!"  
  
The ball of energy began to grow until it was over 90 cm in   
diameter.  
  
"ELEMENTAL STRIKE!"  
  
Spell completed, the multicoloured ball of energy blasted from   
Kipp's hands, the force of acceleration crushing the ground under its   
flight path, and sending Kipp skidding back a couple of meters.  
  
"Hey! Shit! Forget about little old me!" Kipp yelled as the   
blast slammed into the leader, sending it flying back.  
  
"How?" Skuld asked again, before another Dark Bolt slammed into   
her.  
  
"Don't interrupt! This... this... baka wants to challenge me! A   
full fledge demon! Well I say, come and DIE!" the leader roared as it   
rushed at Kipp.  
  
"You first!" Kipp roared back and grabbed the sword hilt, which   
instantly flared to life, forming into a glowing a one meter long white   
blade of mana.  
  
"Not even an Atlantian Mana Blade shall save you boy!" the demon   
growled, wrist claws slamming into the shield and blade.   
  
"Like I said before, come get some!" Kipp yelled, slashing with   
his blade.  
  
The two battled back and forth, neither claiming the advantage   
until Skuld, tired of being ignored, slammed her hammer into the back of   
the demons head.  
  
"Don't ignore me!" Skuld cried, repeatedly hitting the demon   
upside the head.  
  
"Foolish child! Be gone!" the creature cried, slashing at Skuld   
with his claws.  
  
Kipp was there in a flash, blocking the claws and taking a swipe   
at the demon.  
  
"Fool! Trying to protect a goddess that doesn't even care about   
your people anymore, what do you hope to gain?" the monster sneered,   
pushing against the metal.  
  
"It doesn't matter, I will protect her, as I swore I would," Kipp   
grunted, straining against the creature's unnatural strength.  
  
"Swore? Swore what?" the hell spawn asked, applying more weight   
to the shield.  
  
"Get out of the way!" Skuld yelled into Kipp's ear.  
  
"Never! I swore upon my blade, my honour, my life that I would   
serve the light! I swore upon the sacred blade Excalibur, upon the   
Round Table, upon the Grail{4} that I would always protect the ones that   
protected us! I will never, ever let you harm her!" Kipp snarled,   
spirits inflamed.  
  
"That oath, who did you hear it from?!" the demon roared.  
  
"From my master, my teacher, my friend. The great Arch mage   
Merlin{5} taught me everything I know, my skills and my spells," Kipp   
smirked.  
  
"Merlin," the demon gasped, fear beginning to show on its   
grotesque features.  
  
"That's right, Merlin, the greatest _mortal_ demon slayer, and I'm   
his best disciple," Kipp grinned evilly.  
  
"Merlin?" Skuld muttered to herself, the name sounding familiar to   
her.  
  
"It matters not foolish mortal! I am a Ninth Class demon, and no   
puny Mortal shall ever be able to defeat me!" the demon bellowed, its   
fear gone.  
  
"I may not be able to ever defeat you, but I can hurt you enough   
for her to kick your ass!" Kipp bellowed, taking a suicidal lunge at the   
creature's body.  
  
Having committed himself, Kipp put as much momentum and strength   
into that one attack, hoping and praying for the best. The white shaft   
of light slammed into the demons side, causing it to scream in pain,   
and yet, it wasn't enough to disable it as it slammed its claws into   
Kipp's right shoulder, tearing flesh and fracturing bone. Howling in   
agony, Kipp fell back, dropping his sword, and clutching his bleeding   
shoulder, as Skuld watched in horror.  
  
"BAKAMONO! For that foolish move, you will suffer a fate even   
more painful that Hell!" the demon cried, rushing towards the fallen   
captain.  
  
"Leave him alone!" Skuld screamed, ramming into the fiend from the   
side.  
  
"What do you care what happens to him? Bless it{6}! You should   
be happy when he dies, then he'll join your army of dead!" the creature   
sneered at his new opponent.  
  
"I am a Goddess, and those who believe in me, those who have faith   
in me, I shall protect!" Skuld yelled back, slamming her hammer into the   
creatures face.  
  
"Goddess! Ha! You're only a Mortal Realm trainee, you don't have   
the power to defeat me now!" the creature crowed.  
  
"Then we'll just have to even the odds!" Kipp cried from the   
ground, "Super Nova!"  
  
A small ball of blinding white light flew from Kipp's outstretched   
hands, slamming into the creature of darkness, exploding upon contact   
into a brilliant flare of white purity.  
  
"How you like that, imbecile?" Kipp yelled, even as blood flowed   
from his wound.  
  
Skuld thought to herself in disbelief.   
  
"I will not perish so easily!" the demon roared, rising yet again.  
  
By now, the demon was very battered and in a lot of pain, but   
being a demon, it was determined to be a stubborn bastard before it   
died. Covered in bruises, burnt flesh, dozens of cuts, and several   
gaping wounds, the demon stubbornly stalked towards Kipp.  
  
"If I die Mortal, I'll take you with me!" the demon grunted   
between clenched teeth.  
  
"Not if I can help it! Skuld Bomb!" Skuld yelled, shoving the   
explosive into the wound in its side, pressing it in as deeply as it   
could go.  
  
The effect was quite obvious as the demon was incinerated   
instantly, turning the once fearsome creature into a pile of ash.  
  
"Are you all right?" Skuld asked as she rushed to the fallen   
soldier's side.  
  
"I should be, arigato," Kipp murmured, gazing at the liquid brown   
eyes staring down at him.  
  
"I should have something for that wound," Skuld muttered to   
herself, searching through her items in subspace, before finding a   
bottle of bluish liquid, "Aha! Found it!"   
  
"Found what?" Kipp moaned, the pain becoming unbearable as the   
adrenaline flow stopped pumping into his body.  
  
"A healing potion, here drink up," Skuld ordered, unscrewing the   
bottles cap.  
  
"You sure about that?" Kipp grunted, eying the bottle's contents   
dubiously.  
  
"Just drink it," Skuld ordered again, pouring the content's down   
Kipp's throat.  
  
"*Hack**cough**cough**hack* What is that stuff agai... hey! It   
works!" Kipp exclaimed, watching as his shoulder mended itself almost   
instantly.  
  
"See, I told you so," Skuld grumbled, smiling.  
  
"Who are you?" Kipp asked as he got to his feet.  
  
"Skuld of the Norns," Skuld introduced herself, bowing   
appropriately.  
  
"Captain Kipp Long of the Japanese Specialized Self Defence Force:   
Supernatural Division," Kipp bowed back, lower and with much more   
respect.  
  
"Captain?" Skuld inquired, curious.  
  
"Long story, but it does have something to do with my ability to   
use magic," Kipp answered, blushing slightly.  
  
"Oh right! I have never seen a mortal use magic, how can you?   
And what were those weapons you were using? You said they were from   
Atlantis, but Atlantis sunk years ago, how did you find it? Can I see   
your guns? The shield? How about the bomb?" Skuld asked in a rush, her   
curiosity and need to understand and examine the Atlantian technology   
overwhelming both her and Kipp as she pressed up close to him.  
  
"Umm, ah, well, eh, gee," was Kipp's answer as he was overwhelmed   
with questions, he was also blushing bright crimson at Skuld's   
proximity.  
  
"Huh?" Skuld wondered as Kipp suddenly zoned out, before she   
noticed that her breasts were pressed against his chest, "HENTAI!"  
  
*WHAM* Kipp became one of the unlucky mortals to come face-to-  
hammer with Skuld's favourite smiting tool.  
  
"Hmph, all you mortals are the same! Sick and perverted!" Skuld   
glared.  
  
"Gomen, gomen, gomen," Kipp apologized, rubbing his face.  
  
Skuld just continued to glare at Kipp.  
  
"Tell you what, you can have this," Kipp said hopefully, handing   
over his last grenade.  
  
"Really?" Skuld asked, all other thoughts gone from her mind.  
  
"Sure, I'll just tell the guys at R&D that I had to use it," Kipp   
replied, handing the explosive over.  
  
"Arigato!" Skuld cried, grabbing the grenade.  
  
"Be careful with that! It's one of the few Omnimentals that we   
have!" Kipp cautioned.  
  
"Omnimental?" Skuld asked, curiously examining the bomb.  
  
"An Omnimental is a bomb, or spell, that uses all of the elements,   
they're the most dangerous," Kipp explained the term.  
  
"Oh that," Skuld nodded, still examining the grenade, "Urd never   
let's me have some of the Atlantian technology that she has."  
  
"Urd?"   
  
"My oldest sister. She's annoying a lot of the time, and   
immature, but I still love her."  
  
"I see."  
  
Suddenly, one of Skuld's devices began to beep, bring her out of   
her examination of the lost technology. Whipping out some sort of   
laptop, Skuld began examining the screen.  
  
"What's going on?" Kipp asked, politely waiting for her to finish.  
  
"According to my satellite, an unidentified helicopter is closing   
in on this location," Skuld frowned at the unidentified part.  
  
"Here, let me see," Kipp offered, glancing over her shoulder,   
"Ahh, I'd be disappointed if you could identify it."  
  
"What do you mean?" Skuld asked curiously, glancing at Kipp.  
  
"You can't identify that 'Copter because it's not supposed to   
exist. It belongs to the JSSDF: SD, an experimental vehicle, designed   
for speed and stealth, like us," Kipp explained, his voice filled with   
pride.  
  
"Oh, then I better get going," Skuld mumbled.  
  
"You don't want to meet them?" Kipp asked.  
  
"I'm not supposed to reveal my goddess nature, I'm not sure how   
you found out, but I don't want any one else to find out," Skuld   
elaborated.  
  
"I see, can I help you then?"  
  
"Why are you being so helpful?" Skuld asked suspiciously.  
  
"Because your a goddess, and because... well to be honest, I like   
you," Kipp answered, blushing again.  
  
"Na-nani!?" Skuld yelled, blushing as well.  
  
"Not like that!" Kipp defended, making warding gestures with his   
hands. "You saved my life, I have to repay you some how!"  
  
"Oh," Skuld whispered, almost disappointed.  
  
"Look, you wanted to get out of here, well how can I help you?"   
Kipp asked, changing the subject.  
  
"Right," Skuld replied, quickly accepting the subject change, "Can   
you conjure water?"  
  
"Water? Yeah why?" Kipp asked curiously.  
  
"It's my travel medium," Skuld replied, glancing at her laptop,   
"Hurry up! They'll be here any moment now!"  
  
"Medium? Oh I get it!" Kipp remarked, the pieces fitting in his   
mind.  
  
Raising his left arm, since his right was still a bit sore, Kipp   
pulled the string attached to the shield. Skuld examined the shield   
intently as it retracted and returned to its original state. Once   
finished, Kipp turned upwards and muttered a single word.  
  
"Water," and a small ball of liquid appeared in his hands.  
  
"Okay, hold it still, and don't move, no matter what," Skuld   
instructed, moving towards the water.  
  
Just before teleporting, Skuld turned to Kipp and gave him a quick   
peck on the check{7}.   
  
"Um, that was for protecting me," she murmured, blushing bright   
crimson.  
  
"N-no problem," Kipp replied, raising his free hand to his check.  
  
"Sayonara," Skuld called as she disappeared into the water.  
  
Letting the ball of water splash to the ground, Kipp rubbed his   
check before noticing a black-robed figure move from the cauldron to the   
surrounding grove.  
  
"Death," he gasped, then started to head after it.  
  
"KIPP!" Hikari's voice called out, amplified by the helicopter's   
microphone.  
  
Glancing up, Kipp realized that the helicopter was only a few   
dozen meters away, decided to not to follow Death, yet.   
  
As the helicopter landed, twenty agents of the SDs rushed out of  
the vehicle and rushed into the clearing, searching for any remaining  
enemies. Hikari jumped out after them.  
  
She was 150 cm tall 16 year-old high school student who had the   
ability of ESP, although she never used it on her friends. She had   
light blue eyes and blonde shoulder length hair. Her body was slender  
and well endowed, which made her very popular with the guys. She wore  
what appeared to be a white blouse, a knee length light blue skirt, a   
blue high heels.  
  
"Aniki!!! Are you all right?" Hikari asked, looking over Kipp's   
condition. Once certain that Kipp was all right, Hikari began chewing   
him out, "What do you think you were doing? I told you to wait for the   
others, but noooo, you had to play Mister Hero! If you aren't more   
cautious, you'll get yourself killed!"   
  
"You concerned about me?" Kipp teased, until he noticed the tears  
in her eyes.  
  
"Dammit! Of course I'm concerned, you're my best friend and I   
promised your Oneechan, Setsuna, that I'd take care of you. I don't   
want to see you killed because I was too slow, or because I didn't give   
you the right information," Hikari cried, tears streaming down her face.  
  
"Gomen Hikari-chan, but I have to do this. My parents were killed   
by these things, you know that. I know how it feels to lose those that   
you love, that's why I do this, so others don't have to understand the   
hole inside me," Kipp explained, giving his partner a quick hug.  
  
"I know, but can't you care about yourself for a change?" Hikari   
pleaded.  
  
"Maybe, I'll think about it," Kipp smirked, before turning to the   
rest of the troops, "Guys, could you clean up the place for me, and   
recover the remains of the hostages from the cauldron. Get them a   
proper burial, I'm going to empty my stomach over there," he said,   
jerking a thumb in the direction Death had gone.  
  
Releasing Hikari, Kipp strode after Death, rubbing his shoulder   
absently.  
  
"Death, where are you? I know you came to take the children, but   
can I speak with you?" Kipp called into the shadows.  
  
"Of course, child, I am always ready to lend an ear to one of my   
friends{8}," Death answered, stepping out of the shadows.  
  
Covered in black robes and clutching a nasty looking scythe, Death   
stood about 190 cm tall. Her robes hung over a decidedly female, and   
slender body, and she was in no way bony. She had large hazel eyes and  
a long auburn hair that reached her waist, making her look around 25.   
  
"Well, you see, that goddess, that was here earlier, um well,  
could you..." Kipp trailed of, playing with his index fingers.  
  
"Hahahaha, I understand, child, you like her don't you?" Death   
inquired, giggling.  
  
"It's kinda of funny, I've never really had a crush on anyone   
before. But now I've suddenly developed one for that young girl... I   
mean goddess," Kipp laughed, blushing scarlet.  
  
"She is of the Norns, hence she is of the Norse pantheon," Death   
mused.  
  
"What, the Norns? Merlin's meet one of them before, I think her   
name was Verthandi," Kipp mumbled.  
  
"Who hasn't Merlin-san met?" Death laughed. "And it's Belldandy,   
child, Belldandy."  
  
"True, but that's expected from a crabby old man that's been alive   
for centuries," Kipp grinned.  
  
"I cannot tell much of her, but do not fret, perhaps you shall   
meet her again?" Death encouraged.  
  
"Maybe, thanks for the pep talk Death," Kipp murmured, giving   
Death a quick hug.  
  
"If you ever need any help, just ask, and I'll see what I can do,"  
Death promised.  
  
"Arigato, I'll keep that in mind," Kipp smiled, then turned to go,  
before remembering something.  
  
"They'll go to heaven, don't worry," Death said.  
  
"That's good to know, arigato," Kipp sighed, then ran to the   
copter, "I hope I _do_ meet her again."  
  
***   
July 11, 12:00 p.m.  
  
Kipp stood in front of a small house, dressed in full JSDF   
ceremonial uniform, knocking on the front door. Slowly the door opened  
to reveal a worried looking middle aged women. She had dark brown hair,  
with a few streaks of grey showing. She was dressed in a light green   
t-shirt and blue jeans.  
  
"Ohayo, how may I help you...?" she asked, concern growing.  
  
"Ohayo, Tenraikumo-san, I'm Captain Kipp Long of the Japanese   
Specialized Self Defence Force: Supernatural Division. I have some   
information concerning your son," Kipp bowed, looking uneasy.  
  
"My son? Is he all right? Those oni didn't do anything to him   
did they? Where is he?" Tenraikumo asked, staring hopefully into Kipp's   
eyes.   
  
"Sigh, Tenraikumo-san, I am sorry to inform you that your son,   
Mikomi, died last night around 12:00 a.m." Kipp stated, hating himself   
more with every word.   
  
"You're lying! My son can't be dead! Tell me where my son is!"   
Tenraikumo screeched hysterically, before breaking down into sobs.  
  
Kipp could only look at the crying women, before he came to a   
decision. Perhaps it was from the fact that he had never known his own  
mother, perhaps it was because his heart wasn't as cold as he thought,  
either way, Kipp pulled the woman into a hug, patting her on the back  
and whispering reassuring words. After several minutes, the former   
mother had calmed down enough to talk.  
  
"Arigato gozaimasu Long-san... please come in for a cup of tea,"  
Tenraikumo offered.  
  
"Arigato," Kipp said, walking into the house.  
  
Taking of his dress shoes, Kipp put on a pair of guest slippers   
and followed Tenraikumo into the den. Taking a seat around the table,   
Kipp glanced around the room, as he waited for Tenraikumo to get the   
tea.  
  
"The tea will be ready soon," Tenraikumo said as she entered the   
room, sitting across from Kipp, "May I ask you a question?"  
  
"If I'm permitted to answer it, I will," Kipp replied, the   
uneasiness returning.  
  
"Why? Why did you try to comfort me?" she asked.  
  
Kipp thought to himself, before his musing   
was interrupted by the mother's plead.  
  
"Please, it'll give me a last chance to be a mother," she pleaded.  
  
"All right," Kipp sighed before launching into his tale. "I was   
born in a small fishing village of the eastern coast of Hokkaido, my  
mother was a Japanese/American while my father was Chinese. They had me  
and decided to make my name a Chinese/Japanese/American cross, and since  
my surname was already Chinese, they took a American name, translated   
it and took off the last letter, hence Kipp. Long means dragon in   
Chinese. Anyway, my father was a good fisherman so we lived quite   
nicely, until I turned two. On that day, demons came to our village and   
killed everyone, they killed, ate, burned, ravaged and defiled   
everything. I lived because my parents covered me with their bloody,   
and knocked me out, hoping that the creatures wouldn't notice me, they   
didn't. I was later found and adopted by a father and his daughter, the   
Meiou family, but they could never replace my real family," Kipp spun   
his, crying through a lot of it.  
  
"I at least can remember my son, I can remember playing with him,   
his joy whenever I complemented him, you don't even have that,"   
Tenraikumo whispered, having seen the depths of Kipp's sorrow.   
  
"All I have are a bunch of blurry memories and old photos," Kipp   
retorted, fighting to regain control.  
  
"It's all right child, hush, hush, let it all out, it's all   
right," Tenraikumo soothed, her maternal instincts taking over as she   
held Kipp.  
  
It was several minutes before the pain was again covered layers of   
stone. Having regained his composure, Kipp wiped away his tears and   
smiled at Tenraikumo, "Arigato, I fell better now,"  
  
"As do I," Tenraikumo smiled, teary-eyed, "One last time to be a   
mother,"  
  
"I don't think so, I'm sure you'll get another chance. How about   
you go down to the orphanage and adopt a child?" Kipp asked, feeling a  
twinge of hope.  
  
Having lived in an orphanage for several years, Kipp could   
understand that many of the children there longed to have someone to   
call mother or father. But that hope was dashed as Tenraikumo smiled   
sadly.  
  
"Someday maybe, but not until the pain fades," she said, a hand   
over her heart.  
  
"The pain never fades, it only lessens," Kipp said, ruefully.  
  
"Then, when it lessens enough, I'll go adopt a child," she replied  
quietly, "Arigato,"  
  
"What for?" Kipp asked, bewildered.  
  
"For the hope. I will raise a child again someday, I will watch   
as it grows to adulthood, and I will always remember my little   
Mekomi-chan," she answered, giving Kipp a reassuring smile.  
  
"No problem," Kipp smiled back, "I've got to get going, sayonara,"  
  
***  
  
July 11, 5:00 p.m.  
  
"Finally, it's all over," Kipp muttered to himself as he walked   
into a large one story warehouse.   
  
What was strange through was that the inside of the warehouse   
looked more like the inside of a medieval castle then anything else.   
What was stranger yet was that Kipp didn't even seem to notice, or care,   
as he walked down the halls.   
  
"Five kids, nine distressed parents. Kami-sama, if I could trade  
my life for their children's, I would have. Sigh, time for another   
bloody lesson from the old man," Kipp muttered to himself as he stopped  
in front of the only door in the entire building.  
  
"You may enter," a deep voice called from behind the door.  
  
"Konbawa Merlin-sensei," Kipp called as he entered the room.  
  
The room itself was massive, covering at least half of the   
warehouse's total space. Half of the room was dedicated to massive   
bookshelves that stretched to the ceiling, each crammed to the brim with   
books and scrolls. The other half of the room was covered with strange   
looking chemistry experiments, mystic symbols, old weapons, new weapons,  
a giant telescope, a Cray supercomputer, and a really large wooden desk.  
Seated behind the desk, a middle aged man sat, his grey hair cut and   
combed meticulously. His short beard was also cut and trimmed, as well  
as oiled. His clear blue eyes were sharp and piercing, as they stared  
out from behind his reading glasses. He wore a black business suit,   
the crisp lines and lack of wrinkles gave the suit an intimidating look.  
  
"Kipp, why are you still in uniform?" Merlin asked.  
  
"Didn't have time to change, you called, remember?" Kipp mocked.  
  
"Ah, yes, about your fight," Merlin began, "Death told me what   
happened,"  
  
"Geez, what do you two do? Have tea together every freaking day?"  
Kipp muttered to himself.  
  
"I'd like to say that your skills have grown greater then even I   
anticipated," the famed magician complimented, "In all the years of my  
immortal life, I have never had a disciple learn things so quickly, nor  
surpass my expectations so many times."  
  
"Arigato Sensei, but Skuld-sama did most of the work," Kipp   
replied, not a single shred of false-modesty in the comment, just pure   
truth.  
  
"Ah, Skuld of the Norns, you know that her sister Belldandy was   
the one that granted my wish to 'To Watch over Humanity Forever'?"   
Merlin asked his disciple.  
  
"So that's why her title rang a bell," Kipp murmured.  
  
"Anyway, Death, General Meiou, and myself have been talking about   
your performance lately, and well, we've decided that you need a break,"  
Merlin said, his eyes betraying his uneasiness.  
  
"Break? Why?" Kipp inquired politely.  
  
"Well, you see, you're a great soldier, a great fighter, and all   
that stuff, but we think that for you to be a great person, you have to  
live a life outside of this job," the older man looked really nervous   
now.  
  
"A break? Sure, I've been meaning to go to University lately, you  
know, finish my education and finding something that I like," Kipp thought to himself.  
  
`"Really? I mean well, good, it's nice to know that you've been  
thinking lately," Merlin recovered.  
  
"Har, har, anyway, I'll tell you, when I've decided, which   
university I want to go to," Kipp saluted, then left the room.  
  
"And Destiny claims yet another one," Merlin muttered, turning to  
face a figure hidden in the shadows, "I hope this works."  
  
"It should," the figure replied, in a female voice, "It should."  
  
***  
July 20, 3:00 p.m.  
  
"You wanted to see me Captain?" General Meiou asked.  
  
Dressed in his military uniform, Kipp's adopted father sat behind   
his desk at his office. His black hair was greying at the sideburns,   
but gave him a dignified air. The general appeared to be in his early   
fifties, his piercing brown eyes drilling into his son.  
  
"Yes Sir," Kipp answered, saluting.  
  
"Well, out with it boy!" the man commanded.  
  
"About my leave..." Kipp began.  
  
"Ah yes, you are to be relieved until you decide otherwise,   
correct?" the old man grinned.  
  
"Yes that one, Otou-san, the one you've been pestering me with   
ever since you gave it," Kipp replied, annoyed, "I miss Setsuna-  
Oneechan{9}, with her around, I didn't get this much crap!"  
  
"So where have you decided on?" Meiou asked, ignoring the last   
comment.  
  
"Nekomi Institute of Technology, they have a great program for   
computers and such," Kipp answered.  
  
"Hmm, well it will be tight, but I think I can pull a few   
strings," Meiou mused.  
  
"I'll get packing... oh and can I take the Prototype?" Kipp asked  
innocently.  
  
"You want to take the Prototype!? That thing isn't even fully   
tested yet!" Meiou spluttered.  
  
"But it goes so fast! Come on, please?" Kipp begged.  
  
"Fine, but I want it back in one piece!" Meiou caved in.  
  
"YES!"  
  
***  
  
September 1, 3:00 p.m.  
  
"So this is NIT," Kipp mused to himself, as he stared down at the  
university.  
  
Wearing a pair of black jeans and a black leather jacket over a   
dark blue, loose fitting, cotton button up semi-dress shirt. A black   
motorcycle helmet was hanging from his hands, both sporting knuckle-   
gloves. His boots were similarly to his military ones, except looser,   
and shorter. Around his waist was yet another black leather belt, with   
a plain silver belt buckle. Beside him was a sleek jet black   
motorcycle, but when anyone tried to identify it, they couldn't, mainly   
because it was a prototype vehicle designed by the military for stealth   
and speed, the creed the JSSDF: SDs lived by, but only when it suited   
them. Shaped like a regular racer, the bike was covered with what   
appeared to be regular fibreglass, which seemed to reflect the light.   
The machine was missing a keyhole, but had a high tech print scanner   
where one should have been. The speedometer was digital, and it rested   
under a crystal clear windshield.  
  
"Here I come!"  
  
**End Prologue**  
  
  
1- For those who have no clue what SD stands for... GO WATCH MORE ANIME!   
If not, then I will explain. SD stands for Super Deformed, when the   
characters look like miniature versions of themselves, but with huge   
heads.  
  
2- No he isn't a prodigy, you'll learn how he did such a feat in the   
next episode... or two.  
  
3- Skuld doesn't actually have a Seal, I think, anyway, the Mystic   
Vision allows the user to see the exact magical potential of a being   
at that very instant. Skuld, although still a trainee, does have   
the full power of a Second Class God, the only problem is that she   
doesn't know how to tap it yet. Hence Kipp's misunderstanding, since   
he's never actually seen a Sealed god, only descriptions from his   
teacher.  
  
4- Yes, we are talking about Arthurian legends now, which you'll learn   
about later, and no, Kipp isn't Arthur Pendragon reborn.  
  
5- Still in Arthurian legends, Merlin was Arthur's adviser, who   
supposedly lived for a hell of a long time, so I decided to use him.  
Anyway, his role in my fanfic is teacher and maybe advisor to the   
JSSDF: SDs, and maybe part time fighter.  
  
6- Think of it this way, we damn someone when we're pissed. Well a   
damned sure wouldn't damn someone they hate, because that would bring   
them into their home, so they would bless them, to get them away from   
it. It works, goodbye.  
  
7- I know, I know, Skuld would never do that. But my excuse is that   
Skuld now has all of the advantages and disadvantages of a 14 year-  
old body, which comes with gallons of hormones and such. Besides,  
here's a fairly handsome guy, who has just protected her, fought for   
her, given her a present, and been all around nice, I think all those  
romantic comics might have had a little affect on her, ne?  
  
8- This will also be explained later, but right now I can give you a   
little bit of background. Kipp has been in the JSSDF: SDs since he   
was twelve, and through out that time, he's seen tons of death,   
both mortal and immortal. Coupled with the ability to actually see  
magical forces, I'm sure Kipp has had a chance to talk to Death   
dozens of times.  
  
9- That's right, Kipp's adopted Oneechan is none other then the Senshi   
of Time, the lovely, cold, and logical, Sailor Pluto! Anyone smell a  
crossover brewing? Actually Kipp has some connections to the Silver  
Millennium, major connections, but for the first part of this series,   
Kipp won't actually meet any of the Senshi. Some would say that this   
series should be a crossover, but I'm just taking a few things from   
the SM universe, so I don't think it is... yet.  
  
Author's Blurb:   
Nothing big right now, just the first rewrite finished. Now all I   
need to do is get off my lazy ass and do the other two. 


	2. Set Me Loose

E-mail: kipp_loong@yahoo.ca  
Homepage: www.geocities.com/kipp_loong/  
  
= Thought  
()=Author's opinion  
  
*Note*: This fanfic takes place about a year after Belldandy shows up,  
okay FINE! It starts about a year into the manga, happy? A year as in   
Keiichi's third year of school. But there are slight changes I made,   
Megumi knows about the goddesses, and Sentarou will never show his face  
in this fic, for purposes that will be revealed (No, I meant as in plot   
stuff). Also, there are sight merging in the two worlds (the anime and   
the manga), little things that might have occurred in the manga don't,   
like the ninja masters and that really strange octopus/squid thing.   
Senbee probably won't be in this thing either. There probably will be   
more changes, but I'll jump that hurdle when I get to it.  
  
Disclaimers: Oh! My Goddess (Ah! My Goddess, Aa! Megami-sama, and   
whatever else they call it) is owned by Kosuke Fujishima and Kodansha.   
English translations are owned by Dark Horse Comics. The work that I   
am doing is in no way used for profit, nor am I taking credit for the   
characters. This is purely for entertainment.  
  
Kipp Long, Rantora Kenshin, Hiroshi Hamasaki, Makoto Kagirinai,   
Hikaru Saitoku and Hikari Amatsu _are_ my own creations and are not to   
be reproduced with out my permission.  
  
Death, although a creation of humanity's fears, isn't my own   
creation, but her personality and profile are, so they are not to be   
used with out my permission.  
  
The Japanese Specialized Self Defence Force: Supernatural   
Division does not actually exist and is a figment of this author's   
imagination (probably from watching one too many episodes of the X-  
Files), therefore making it my own creation.  
  
So without further ado, I present to you...  
  
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[  
  
|nfinity Corps is   
  
Proud to Present  
  
An Oh! My Goddess! Fanficiton  
  
Deus Patronus:  
  
Episode 1  
  
By:  
  
Jeffrey Chow  
  
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[  
  
  
  
Dressed in a black leather jacket over his white t-shirt, a pair   
of blue jeans and brown shoes, Keiichi glanced at the morning sky. It   
was a bright and sunny day, the kind that made you want to go to the   
beach and relax, have a swim (well actually more like watch others   
swim), etc. Keiichi knew this, which made him more aggravated that   
school had to start on this great day. Now, normally Keiichi didn't   
mind school, in fact, he kind of liked it, but on a day like today, he   
just wanted to spend time with his Bell-chan, alone, and not at school.   
Bemoaning his bad luck, and prepping his bike, Keiichi didn't hear   
Belldandy sneak up on him.  
  
"Keiichi-chan," Belldandy giggled as she hugged her boyfriend from   
behind, "Isn't it nice, going back to school?"  
  
Keiichi turned, and smiled at his goddess, amazing in how she   
could make any outfit look beautiful. What would normally have been   
quite plain on any other girl, Belldandy made look like an outfit for a   
queen... well, not quite, but it was a very close match. She wore a   
long strawberry pink wrap/long skirt, which seemed to float whenever the   
breeze passed her by. Her blouse was of the same colour, buttoned down   
the side with an odd blue pin over her left breast. Keiichi, even after   
the many times he had seen her in an outfit similar, could never hide   
his smile.  
  
"Come on then Belldandy, if we don't hurry, we'll be late for the   
first day of school," he urged, putting on his helmet.   
  
Getting on his bike, Keiichi waited for Belldandy to get into the   
sidecar, before the two were off to NIT, to meet Fate and Destiny.  
  
***  
  
"Great, just great," Kipp muttered to himself as he vainly   
searched the campus for the registration office. "Let's see, past the   
Math  
Building, through that one, and I should end up at the... parking lot,"  
Kipp sweat dropped, "I'm so screwed,"  
  
Kipp's turns caused his black leather trench coat to open up   
slightly, revealing a dark blue cotton dress shirt, and a pair of black   
pants. Since the air was slightly chilly, the teenaged agent quickly   
pulled his coat shut, but not before he was forced to shiver every so   
slightly. However, the sudden jerk on the fabric caused his backpack to   
fall of its perch on his left shoulder, landing right into a puddle at   
his feet. The splash drenched the lower portion of his pants, electing   
a tired sigh from the frustrated Kipp. As he reached down to grab his   
soaked bag, he accidentally dropped his helmet into the puddle, further   
drenching himself, and his bag.   
  
Growling in anger, Kipp snatched up his helmet, and stalked over   
to his bike, dropped his bag, and glowered at his map, hoping to get   
through registration fast enough so he could go home and get cleaned up.   
It was at this moment that Megumi Morisato happened to spot Kipp,   
sitting on a sleek, cool, and futuristic looking bike.   
  
"Excuse me? Is that bike your brother's?" Megumi asked, walking   
up to the confused Kipp.  
  
"Don't have a brother," Kipp muttered, staring daggers at the map.  
  
"Then is it your oneechan's?" she continued.  
  
"Haven't seen Oneechan in a year," Kipp muttered again, his anger   
clouding over the fact that he was talking to a person.  
  
"Then who's is it?" she asked finally, reaching to touch the   
vehicle.  
  
"Mine, and don't touch my bike, R&D'll kill me if I scratch it,"   
Kipp answered, the sight of Megumi's hand reaching out to touch the   
Prototype snapping him out of his angry state.  
  
Kipp took a few seconds to analyze the female before him.   
Although she was shorter then him, he knew instantly that she was older,   
if only by a few years. His eyes quickly assessed her, from her snug   
fitting jeans, to her light blazer. From her brown leather boots, to   
her orange sweater.  
  
"Yours? But you're not even old enough to drive," Megumi   
countered, touching the bike.  
  
"Is it just me, or does everyone not believe that I'm a freaking  
freshman here, that I'm not related to anyone around here, and that the   
bloody bike is mine!" Kipp yelled, his frustration coming back full   
force.  
  
"If it's yours, prove it," Megumi challenged.  
  
"Why should I?" Kipp muttered, not taking the bait.  
  
"I'll help you find what ever you're looking for," she grinned.  
  
"Deal," Kipp answered quickly, grabbing his helmet.   
  
Mounting the jet black bike, Kipp placed his left thumb on to the   
scanner and twisted it to the left. Instantly the bike roared to life,  
the twin exhaust pipes giving of not even a bit of smoke.  
  
"That enough?" Kipp asked, smirking at the confused girl.  
  
"But how..." Megumi asked, examining the scanner curiously.  
  
"Look, is that enough proof, or do I need to ride this thing all   
over campus?" Kipp asked tiredly.  
  
"What are you looking for?" Megumi asked, snapping out of her   
stupor.  
  
"The registration office," Kipp replied, dismounting and   
deactivating the Prototype, "I've got to talk to Ichijin-san"  
  
"Follow me," Megumi gestured, leading the way to the office, "By   
the way, I'm Morisato Megumi."  
  
"Long Kipp," Kipp replied, following his new guide.  
  
After walking for a bit, Megumi began grilling Kipp on everything  
from his age, to why he could drive. Kipp answered those that he   
could, and replied classified for everything else, which arose Megumi's   
curiosity even more.  
  
"How old are you?"  
  
"Sixteen, I'll be seventeen by November 13,"  
  
"Why do you have to talk to the Ichijin-sensei?"  
  
"Otou-san wanted me to, also got a phone call yesterday saying   
that   
he wanted to meet me,"  
  
"Wonder why, anyway, why do you have such a cool bike?"  
  
"Dad let me take it,"  
  
"Then why can you drive, you're not old enough to have a license,"  
  
"Umm... Ahh... Classified, that should work," the last was   
mumbled.  
  
"Okay, who made the bike?"  
  
"Classified," Kipp answered again, regretting his decision to let   
Megumi lead him.  
  
"You must be pretty smart to be in university at sixteen," Megumi   
mused.  
  
"Smart? Maybe," Kipp answered dubiously.  
  
"Modesty?" Megumi laughed.  
  
"Nope, I just don't think I'm very smart," Kipp replied, looking   
around the campus.  
  
"Hey, are you any good on that bike?" Megumi suddenly asked.  
  
"Pretty good," Kipp grinned, reaching familiar territory.  
  
"Why don't you try joining the NIT Motor Cycle Club?" Megumi   
asked.  
  
"NIT MCC? Maybe, I'll see," Kipp replied, glancing down.  
  
"Well here you are," Megumi gestured, pointing at the building   
in front of them, "Just go in and ask the secretary, she'll tell you."  
  
"Arigatou Morisato-sempai," Kipp bowed, before running into the  
building.  
  
"Quiet kid, kind of a mystery," Megumi mused to herself, jogging   
off to her first class.  
  
***  
  
Walking up to the front desk, Kipp glanced at the secretary,   
before asking for directions.  
  
"Ano? Could you tell me how to find the Dean's office?" he asked,   
smiling slightly.  
  
"What for?" the middle aged woman behind the desk asked, "Do you   
have an appointment with him?"   
  
"I think so, my name's Long Kipp, and I was told to met with him   
as soon as I got on campus," Kipp replied, grinning internally.  
  
"Oh, Long-san, right this way," she said, leading the way to the   
Dean's office.  
  
Kipp thought to himself.  
  
Walking down a series of halls, Kipp quickly remembered why he   
hated 'The Desk'. Glancing in every office showed a person sitting at a  
desk, doing paperwork, long, boring, tedious paperwork. But Kipp's   
psyche was saved from imagining a fate worse then hell when the   
secretary stopped in front of an office labelled, 'Ichijin Daisuke,'   
with a whole lot of titles after. Knocking on the door a couple   
of times the secretary opened the door and let Kipp in.  
  
The room looked like the stereotypical office, bookshelves   
crammed with large hardbound books on one side, a wall dedicated to the  
occupant's diplomas and awards, and a large desk facing the door, the   
window right behind it. Seated behind the desk, and middle aged,   
balding man sat, his dark suit crisp and clean. his dark brown eyes   
were alert and seemed to be able to tear into your soul (I swear, all   
teachers, of any sort seem to know how to do that, almost as they took a   
course on it...).  
  
Kipp thought to himself, before   
bowing to the Dean. "Long Kipp, how may I help you Ichijin-sensei?"  
  
"Long Kipp? Ano? I expected someone with glasses, a crew cut,   
and stick thin," Daisuke mused out loud, then burst into a fit of   
laughter at Kipp's undignified glare. "Gomen, it's just that I went to   
school with your Otou-san when he was younger. Here, have a seat   
Kipp-san,"  
  
Kipp stared at the Dean for a long minute, then grinned and   
accepted the seat. "So is that how I got in here with a week's notice?"  
  
Ichijin laughed at that. "No, even if your Otou-san begged, I   
couldn't have gotten you registered in a week," his expression sobered,   
"But when the government asks, you obey. Besides, your academic records   
are astonishing, to say the least," he praised, the humour returning to   
his eyes.  
  
"They're not that good, besides, Oneechan's marks are much   
better," Kipp replied, fiddling with his helmet.  
  
"Nonsense, an 85% average in grade 12, at the age of fourteen,   
that's very impressive if you ask me! But enough of that, I believe   
you've come here to learn something, ne?" Ichijin laughed, "I'll talk   
with you later, and I might just tell you about Meiou's university   
days."  
  
Kipp grinned, shook the Ichijin's hand, and left the office, only   
to   
pop back in several seconds later.  
  
"Could you tell me where the Physics Department is?" Kipp asked,   
rubbing the back of his head.  
  
Ichijin just face faulted.  
  
***  
  
Kipp slowly walked up to the classroom, which he was supposed to   
be in, glanced around, then groaned.  
  
Kipp thought to himself, glancing down at his wet pants, and   
dripping bag. Taking a   
deep cleansing breath, Kipp walked into the classroom.  
  
"Ano? Who are you?" the sensei asked.  
  
Kipp quickly glanced around the room, noting the desks, labs and   
huge blackboard, all essential for a university physics class... well   
maybe not the labs. Then Kipp glanced at the students in the class.   
They were all sophomores. Kipp quickly glanced at his schedule, the   
room number, then the sensei, back to the schedule, then to room number,  
then the teacher, and then groaned.  
  
"I feel sick," Kipp muttered as he realized that he did indeed   
have the right class.  
  
"I said, who are you?" the sensei asked again, his patience   
thinning.  
  
"Long Kipp, Sensei," Kipp answered hoarsely, cursing his   
misfortune.  
  
"Ah yes, you were talking with Ichijin-sensei, correct?" the   
teacher   
asked.  
  
"Hai," Kipp replied, now cursing the gods, demons, and mystical   
forces in general.  
  
"Well why don't you take a seat over by... Morisato-san over   
there," the teacher said, pointing towards none other then Megumi   
Morisato, "She should be able to help you with any problems you might   
have,"  
  
Kipp's cursing became more colourful (Yeah I'm Canadian and damn   
proud of it!) as he started to curse everything in general, switching   
from Japanese to English to some of the mystic languages, and back.   
Dragging his feet, Kipp trooped over to his desk and dropped heavily   
into it.  
  
"Psst, Long-san, over here," Megumi whispered.  
  
"Why me, why me, why me, why me, why me," Kipp chanted to himself.  
  
"Long-san!" Megumi whispered loudly.  
  
"I hate my life, I hate my life, I hate my life," was Kipp's new   
chant.  
  
Getting annoyed, Megumi picked up her eraser and bounced it off   
Kipp's head. Hearing the chanting replaced by angry muttering seemed to   
satisfy her.  
  
"Owww, what was that for," Kipp glared at Megumi.  
  
"I've been trying to get your attention for the last five   
minutes!" Megumi hissed, glaring back.  
  
"Gomen," Kipp muttered, slumping further into his seat.  
  
"What's wrong?" Megumi asked, seeing Kipp slouch further into his   
chair.  
  
"I swear, I probably angered a kami in my previous life," Kipp   
sighed.  
  
"What makes you say that?" she inquired, looking curiously at the   
strange boy beside her.  
  
"I'm a freshman with at least four sophomore classes," Kipp   
answered, staring at his schedule.  
  
"How?" Megumi wondered aloud, "The school rarely messes up that   
bad."  
  
"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," Kipp declared quietly,   
pulling out a black laptop, which was oddly dry, considering it had just   
come from his backpack.  
  
Glancing around, Kipp pulled out another tech gadget, attached it   
a port on his laptop and began typing furiously. Several minutes went   
by with Kipp typing and Megumi trying to see what he was doing.  
  
Several more minutes passed before Kipp suddenly grinned madly and  
started to chant to himself again.  
  
"Death, death, death, death, death, dead!" he whispered, "Now then  
where are my files?"  
  
"Your files?" Megumi asked, confused.  
  
"School files, should be in the database," Kipp replied, matter-of  
-factly.  
  
As Megumi leaned over to look, the sensei was suddenly there,   
glaring at the two.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asked, glancing at the two.  
  
"I was just asking Morisato-sempai here how to answer that   
question, Sensei" Kipp grinned innocently, pointing at the question on   
the computer's screen, which coincidentally happened to be the one the   
sensei was demonstrating to the class.  
  
"Very well, carry on," the sensei grumbled, glancing suspiciously   
at the computer, before walking back to the front of the class.  
  
"Heh heh heh, works every time," Kipp grinned, before reopening   
the original window, "Now then, where are those bloody files?"  
  
"You hacked into the school's network?! How?" Megumi exclaimed,   
staring at the screen's contents.  
  
"Child's play, especially with this baby R&D 'lent' me" Kipp   
replied, patting the gizmo lovingly.  
  
"Lent?" Megumi asked, arching her eyebrow.  
  
"Hai. 'Lent', well more like gave without permission, but hey,   
nobody'll know," Kipp grinned, then started to frown, "Since when did   
they classify student files?"   
  
"They don't."  
  
"You're right, they don't."  
  
"Kami-sama, you're so much like..."  
  
"Like who?"  
  
"Just someone I know."  
  
"Okay, whatever, here we go..." Kipp said, reading his files   
contents.  
  
"Hey, why are you listed here as a V.I.P?" Megumi asked, pointing   
to several sections of the record, each with information that normally   
wouldn't have been there, "And since when did they assign status to   
students?"  
  
"Those bastards!" Kipp seethed. "I knew I shouldn't have told   
them where I was going, but noooo, HQ must always be aware of a   
soldier's whereabouts," Kipp muttered, searching for his entrance exam.  
  
Megumi thought to herself.  
  
"WHAT!" Kipp yelled in shock.  
  
"LONG-SAN! What is so important that you must disrupt my class?"   
the sensei growled, glaring at the offender.  
  
"Umm, I just royally screwed up my answer sir," Kipp   
muttered, embarrassed, "It won't happen again, both the outburst and the   
mistake,"  
  
"Yes, make sure it doesn't, or you will be gone from my class,"   
the sensei threatened.  
  
"Hai, Sensei," Kipp replied, then sighed as the sensei turned   
back to the board, "Close call, owowowowowow,"  
  
The last was because Megumi had used his ear to pull his head   
in front of the computer's screen.  
  
"A 85% overall score?!" she glared at Kipp.  
  
"I know," Kipp replied miserably.  
  
"What's to be sad about, you're a genius," Megumi tried to cheer   
up the depressed young man.  
  
"That's what sucks," Kipp replied, sighing dejectedly.  
  
"What's to suck about it, you wouldn't have to worry too much   
about tests and marks," Megumi remarked enviously.  
  
"But you never get to hang with anyone your own age. Hell, the   
only time I've spent more then a few hours with someone my own age was  
the two years I took off of school," Kipp replied, sighing again.  
  
"I see, you wanted to be a freshman so you could mingle with   
people more your age, ne?" Megumi guessed.  
  
"Exactly. I can count all of my friends on two hands, and still   
have enough fingers to grab a pop," Kipp muttered. "When ever I went up   
a grade, or went into a new school, everyone always looked at me as if I   
was some sort of animal. I always had to eat lunch on my own, use the   
swings by myself, study on my own. Sometimes Oneechan would play with   
me, or help me study, but she couldn't always be there for me," he   
elaborated.  
  
"Well, count yourself lucky, you've just got yourself a new friend  
today," Megumi said cheerfully, sticking her hand out.  
  
Kipp glanced at the offered hand, then glared at Megumi.  
  
"I don't want, nor need anyone's pity. I'll make my friends not   
from pity, but from being me," Kipp replied angrily.  
  
"Pity? You? Never," Megumi grinned, "You're almost like the   
little brother I never had, and trust me, I know how younger siblings   
are supposed to act, annoying."  
  
Kipp stared at the young lady beside him for a long while, then   
started to chuckle to himself.  
  
"You ever talk to a Meiou Setsuna?" Kipp asked, still chuckling.  
  
"Never heard of her," Megumi replied, confused.  
  
"Because that's exactly how she describes me," Kipp laughed.  
  
"Well I'd say you're a lot like Skuld. Both of you are great with   
computers, and both of you hate being younger then others," Megumi   
giggled.  
  
"Skuld?" Kipp asked, eyes lighting up.  
  
"Yeah, her older sister, Belldandy, goes here, they moved in last   
year," Megumi replied, before something registered in her mind, "Meiou?   
Isn't your last name Long?"  
  
"I'm adopted," Kipp replied simply, "Don't worry about it."  
  
Kipp smiled to himself. Turning his   
attention back his new friend, Kipp began asking her about the MCC.   
"I heard that there were two clubs here, which one's the original?"  
  
"The MCC's the original, that sleaze Aoshima started another one,  
just to prove that he was better, which he isn't," Megumi explained.  
  
"Oh, right, his team always get beaten by the MCC, or at least   
that's what the rumours say," Kipp exclaimed, smiling to himself.  
  
"Yeah that's right, all he does is spend tons of money to have   
big corporations build his vehicles, we on the other hand build ours   
by hand, but we put our spirits into it," Megumi spoke passionately.  
  
"Looks like we've got an engineer here," Kipp quipped, before he   
was bopped on the head.  
  
"What's wrong with that?" Megumi huffed, indignantly.  
  
"Gomen, it's just that I've meet a few engineers in my life, and   
most of them aren't... quite stable. Heck, the guys who made my bike,   
they made it so it could reach about 600 km/h in less then a minute.   
Its max speed is... I'm not sure really. The fastest we've ever clocked   
is over 800 km/h," Kipp grinned, glancing at Megumi's startled look.  
  
"800 km/h! That's incredible! How much money did these guys   
spend on that... monster?" Megumi asked, clearly surprised.  
  
"No clue," Kipp answered, shuddering slightly, "But no one wants   
to say no to those guys, on fear of a fate worse then death."  
  
"And these guys are the ones who put the fear of engineers into   
you?" Megumi asked playfully.  
  
"Hell yeah, they put mad scientist like Washu to shame," Kipp   
remarked, recalling an anime Hikari had made him watch.  
  
"Washu, Skuld reads those things, but I know what you mean,"   
Megumi giggled, "Truthfully, they can't be that bad,"  
  
"You're right, they're worse."  
  
***  
  
Kipp came trudging out of his second class of the day,   
Engineering, grumbling about psycho mechanics trying to take apart his   
bike. Pulling out his map, Kipp began the annoying process of locating   
the nearest cafeteria, namely the one inside the Engineering Department   
that he was currently in.  
  
"Stupid, bloody mechanics, almost as bad as those 'scientists'   
back at the base!" he grumbled to himself, before he finally reached his   
destination, "At last, food,"  
  
Quickly buying his lunch from the vending machines and the 'fresh'  
meals, Kipp began hunting for a seat.  
  
"Kipp-san!" Megumi called from her table, having noticed Kipp,   
"Over here!"  
  
Accepting the invitation, Kipp walked over to her, seeing the two   
girls and one guy sitting with her. A second glance confirmed his   
suspicions that one of the ladies was a foreigner.  
  
"Konnichi-wa Megumi-sempai!" he greeted, holding his tray in one  
hand, and waving with the other.  
  
"Konnichi-wa Kipp-san!" Megumi returned, before introducing the   
others. "This is Keiichi, my oniichan," she pointed to the male, who   
shook Kipp's hand, "This is Hasegawa Sora, my best friend," she pointed   
to the girl wearing glasses and a really short fuku.   
  
Sora smiled and bowed to Kipp, who bowed back awkwardly, trying to   
balance his lunch, while being polite. Sora giggled at this.  
  
"And this is Belldandy, she's a foreign exchange student," Megumi  
repeated the cover story.  
  
"Belldandy? That sounds... kind of like that Norn, Verthandi, of   
Norse mythology" Kipp remarked, thinking to himself, "Perhaps you're   
from Norway?"  
  
Keiichi sighed and shook his head, no. "She's from Scandinavia,"  
Keiichi corrected.  
  
"Oh really? I've never been there Belldandy-sempai, perhaps you   
could tell me about it someday?" Kipp asked, sitting down on one of the   
unused chairs.  
  
"I'd be delighted to," Belldandy assured, smiling beautifully.  
  
"Arigatou!" he smiled back then turned to Keiichi, "Morisato-  
sempai, aren't you the main driver for the MCC?"  
  
"Yes I am, are you thinking about joining?" Keiichi asked, eating   
the lunch Belldandy had made him.  
  
"I've thinking about it, but I'm not sure if I want to. I'm only   
good at driving really fast, my engineering skills leave a bit to be   
desired... at least that's what Tentetsu-san keeps saying," Kipp   
replied, staring at his lunch, Megumi noticed his look and grinned.   
  
"This stuff is horrible compared to your cooking Belldandy-chan!   
I fear your cooking has spoiled me to no end!" she giggled.  
  
Belldandy blushed and thanked Megumi, while the other two added   
their comments on the 'holiness' of Belldandy's cooking. Kipp continued  
to look at his food for a few more seconds before taking a bite. His   
face suddenly went from anticipation to surprise, and then to delight.  
  
"This stuff's better then anything I could ever cook!" he   
exclaimed, pointing at his food. Megumi just face faulted.  
  
"How bad of a cook are you?" Megumi asked, staring at Kipp in   
shock.  
  
"Lets put it this way, what I cook may look like what it's   
supposed to be, but never, ever eat it in large doses... it could kill   
you," he returned with all seriousness.  
  
"Really?" Sora asked, looking at the young man.  
  
"Nope, but sometimes it makes you want to die," Kipp replied,   
causing everyone, except Belldandy, to face fault.  
  
"I used to be like that, but Belldandy-sempai helped me do   
better," Sora said quietly.  
  
"I'd be asking to much from someone I've just meet," Kipp replied,   
eating his lunch with extreme gusto.  
  
"It wouldn't be a problem at all Long-san," Belldandy offered.  
  
"And take more time away from Morisato-sempai? Never!" Kipp   
laughed as Keiichi and Belldandy both blushed slightly, "I knew it!"  
  
"The rumours are still going?" Megumi inquired.  
  
"Nope, I just saw it from the way those two acted towards each   
other," Kipp answered, "Comes from my training... and it's also the   
reason I can do so good in school."  
  
"So, you can read people, and tell things just from body   
language?" Sora asked.  
  
"That, and I can memorize almost anything with just a quick   
glance, heck skimming for me is like studying," Kipp stated, still   
savouring his lunch.  
  
"So what was your job?" Keiichi asked, curious.  
  
"JSDF... my dad's... errand boy" Kipp replied uneasily.  
  
"That doesn't really explain much," Megumi muttered, looking   
pointedly at Kipp.  
  
"Well, you see, Dad's not even supposed to give me a job and all,   
so I can't really tell you much," Kipp replied nervously, rubbing the   
back of his head.  
  
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure you would have told us if you   
could," Belldandy reassured, picking up on Kipp's emotions.  
  
"I agree, don't worry about it Long-san! After all, we're   
friends!" Keiichi second.  
  
"Arigatou Morisato-sempai!" Kipp cried, grinning at his new   
friends.  
  
The conversation turned to other things, mainly the upcoming year,  
and how Tamiya and Ootaki would probably rope Keiichi into driving   
again. The conversation eventually turned again to the   
mysterious black bike sitting in the parking lot.  
  
"I bet who ever owns that bike's probably rich and snooty,"   
Keiichi remarked enviously.  
  
Megumi and Kipp both started to giggle, before that degraded into  
side bursting laughter. Keiichi and Sora looked at the two in   
confusion, while Belldandy just smiled knowingly.  
  
"Th, *gasp*, hahahahah, th-th-th-*psst*, hahahaha!" Megumi tried   
to explain, unsuccessfully.   
  
"Hahahaha, *gasp*, okay, I'm better," Kipp finally managed to get   
out. "As to that bike, and why we were laughing, well you see, that   
bike... its mine," Kipp grinned at Keiichi and Sora's astonished looks,   
then smiled wider when Belldandy grinned with Megumi.  
  
"That... thing, is yours!" Keiichi exclaimed, "Who made it?   
What's its top speed? What parts did they use? How's the fuel   
consumption?" and many other questions bombarded Kipp.  
  
Belldandy coughed politely into her hand, which seemed to stop   
Keiichi, who smiled sheepishly. "Gomen about the rich snob comment,"   
Keiichi said, laughing awkwardly.  
  
"Would this rich snot comment happen to be about a certain   
Aoshima?" Kipp asked, grinning.  
  
"Aoshima-sempai isn't that bad! He has a really nice side to him,   
he just chooses not to show it that much," Sora cried, blushing   
immediately after she had said it.  
  
"I'm sure he does, but then I can't say until I meet him," Kipp   
assured, then muttered under his breath, "But I'm inclined to believe   
Megumi-sempai."  
  
"Now then, back to that bike..." Keiichi began, before Kipp cut   
him off.  
  
"I'll let you and Megumi-sempai take it apart someday, but not   
until you guys introduce me to the MCC president," Kipp offered.  
  
"Deal, meet us after school by your bike," Keiichi agreed.  
  
***  
  
"My, are we new here?" a very sexy, very female voice cooed from   
behind Kipp and Megumi, "A little young, but very handsome."  
  
The two were in the Math department, since Kipp was having a hard   
time dealing with the stares, and the nervousness of being in yet   
another class full of sophomores. Of course, Megumi has volunteered to   
walk with him since she had a math class at the same time (different   
classes), when they were confronted by the mysterious voice.  
  
"Nani?!" Kipp cried, spinning around to face a pair of emerald   
green eyes.  
  
"Urd, stop teasing him," Megumi scolded, uselessly, glaring at   
Urd.  
  
Urd, as usual, wore a very short, very tight mini, shiny, rubber,   
black skirt, a very tight, very revealing, white tank top, with a very   
low neckline, and a red jacket that was a lot shy of her midriff. she   
also had on a pair of black heels, and the slit down the side of her   
skirt made it almost indecent.  
  
  
Kipp, turning to confront this new... person, managed to move just  
enough to be pressing against her... ample, well endowed, etc, breast.   
Now normally, Kipp would have stepped back and apologized like the   
civilized gentleman his sister tried to make of him (she failed that   
project, but she did get part marks, as Kipp wasn't a complete jerk),   
but he wasn't in the best of conditions today, so his reaction   
wasn't quite up to the norm.  
  
"Gomen!!" he screamed as he literally leapt back a couple dozen   
meters. "I didn't know you were there, I mean, I didn't know you were   
so close, or so...." he babbled as he tried to save his hide from what   
he envisioned as his untimely death.  
  
Urd and Megumi just stared at the flustered young man making   
frantic warding gestures with his hands (and would probably have been   
calling the morgue already, if he hadn't forgot his cell phone in his   
bike), before Megumi burst into gales of laughter, and Urd suddenly   
started to grin her evil little grin. Walking slowly up to the   
frightened freshman/sophomore, Urd bent forward, and gave the now   
terrified young man a very clear view of her cleavage.  
  
"My, whatever are you afraid of. Come, stop that, after all, I am   
the 'Goddess of Love', and I'm flattered that somebody I don't even know   
is that interested in me," she grinned, winking sultry at Kipp, even   
going so far as to give him a centrefold pose.  
  
Kipp's eyes widened, more so then they normally could have, as his   
jaw hit the ground, which caused Megumi to laugh even harder. Kipp then   
very slowly backed away from Urd, and made a mad dash the exit, but was   
stopped in a rather painful way when Megumi's arm grabbed his shirt   
collar.  
  
"Let me go!!!" Kipp cried, dragging Megumi along behind him as he   
tried very hard to run and breath at the same time. "Anybody that good   
looking has to be evil!!"  
  
"Stop that Kipp! I mean really, she's only teasing, you didn't   
have to go overboard!" Megumi muttered in disgust, glaring at the   
cowering Kipp.  
  
"Yes, but but but but...." Kipp stammered, and then smiled   
cheerfully. "My, how odd I must seem, going hysterical like that and   
all!"  
  
"Why you!" Megumi cried, smacking Kipp around, "I'm really   
starting to get annoyed!"  
  
"Children, children, stop that! There's more then enough of me to   
go around!" Urd teased, striking yet another pose.  
  
Kipp smiled and strutted over to Urd, flashing her his pimping   
smile. Bowing low to her, Kipp gently took her hand and kissed the back   
of it.  
  
"Urd-sama! You're the most beautiful being I have ever laid my  
lowly eyes upon! Your be..." his gushing speech was cut of by Megumi's   
bag in   
his face.  
  
"Enough out of you Casanova-sama, Urd, what are you doing here?"  
Megumi asked the platinum-haired goddess.  
  
"I just got word from Skuld, she's coming home later today, the   
'Boss' finished grilling her out," Urd smirked, but her eyes belayed her   
worry, "I came to tell Belldandy."  
  
"You're Belldandy-sempai's sister?" Kipp asked, looking for some   
sort of resemblance.  
  
"Half-sister," Urd replied sadly.  
  
"Gomen ne," Kipp bowed.  
  
"Oh, Urd, this is Kipp Long, he's new here, and he might be   
joining the MCC. Kipp, this is Urd, Belldandy's sister, which you   
already know," Megumi introduce the two.  
  
"A pleasure for you to meet me," Urd joked.  
  
"The pleasure is all mine," Kipp replied, the old training coming   
back to him.  
  
"Young, but charming," Urd winked, "Anyway, if you see Belldandy,   
please tell her."  
  
And with that, Urd turned and disappeared around the corner. Kipp   
cocked his head to the side and scratched the back of his head.  
  
"You know some very strange people," he remarked casually to   
Megumi.  
  
"Wouldn't have them any other way," she returned.  
  
"Know what, I think I'm going to right at home here."  
  
***  
  
(Curses to Chaos the rest of those demented excuses for Fanboys!   
That scene wasn't supposed to be so damn stupid. CURSES!!!)  
  
***  
  
The day was finally out as Kipp headed towards his bike. Grinning  
to himself, he mentally re-ran an incident in the hallways, involving a   
very big, very annoying brute, and five 'geeks'.  
  
"Heh heh heh, I sure kicked his ass," Kipp grinned to himself,   
"Nothing relieves stress like a good game of beat-up-the-bastard."  
  
Strolling along (the plot that is... arrgh! Damn you Chaos! When   
I get my hands on you, a Giga Slave will feel like a freaking tap on the   
shoulder!), Kipp walked towards the parking lot, humming tunelessly to   
himself.   
  
Upon arriving at said lot, Kipp began to chuckle to himself as he   
watched Megumi, Keiichi, and an entire slew of crazed engineers visually   
disassembling his jet-black cycle.  
  
"Yo, guys, you're drooling," Kipp grinned.  
  
"Oh, Kipp-san, you ready to meet Tamiya-sempai and Ootaki-sempai,"  
Megumi asked.  
  
"Yeah, sure, just as long as these guys don't scratch anything,"   
Kipp mumbled.  
  
"Then lets go!" Belldandy sang cheerfully.  
  
"Hai, hai," Keiichi grinned.  
  
The quad got up and began walking towards the MCC club building,   
Megumi and Keiichi talking about all the great things the MCC had done.  
This of course lead to all of the troubles that the Aoshima Four-Wheel  
Club had caused. Kipp, naturally, was a little ticked off at the 'bet'.  
  
"Baka, baka. Mina baka! Who the bloody hell bets people!?" Kipp   
spat. "When I get my hands on those three, there'll be hell to pay,"  
  
"Calm down! Don't worry about it," Belldandy tried to sooth the   
young man's anger.  
  
"Yeah, Aoshima's scum, while Tamiya-sempai and Ootaki-sempai go a   
little overboard when it comes to the Club's pride," Megumi stated.  
  
"Umm, no offence or anything, but these guys didn't start the club  
did they?" Kipp asked.  
  
"Actually, they didn't. Chihiro-sempai actually started the club   
off.," Keiichi looked a little sad, "But she went to the U.S to study   
last year. Actually, she should be back by Christmas."  
  
"I see," Kipp murmured to himself, "I'd love to meet... her?"  
  
"Yeah, her," Megumi smiled.  
  
"Her. She sounds like a very dedicated person,"  
  
***  
  
"You have got to be kidding," Kipp groaned as he caught sight of   
Tamiya and Ootaki, "They're the club leaders?!"  
  
"Yep, that's them," Keiichi grinned.  
  
"I swear, I was probably a very bad little boy in a previous   
life," Kipp moaned, covering his face with his hands.  
  
"Why do you say that?" Belldandy asked curiously.  
  
"Because, the club I'm about to join is lead by a guy who wears   
spark plugs in his ears, and the another who's on an emotional   
roller coaster half the time," Kipp replied, still in shock.  
  
"Have you meet them?" Megumi asked, amazed at the description.  
  
"I saw them trying to get people to join their club a couple of  
days ago. It wasn't a pretty sight," Kipp shuddered at the memory.  
  
"That was a very bad example of club campaigning," Megumi giggled.  
  
"Did you see the whole thing?" Keiichi asked.  
  
"Nope, I ran as soon as they got on the roof of the building,   
wearing green tights," Kipp shuddered again.  
  
Belldandy and Megumi giggled while Keiichi shook his head in   
dismay.  
  
"If Chihiro were here, those two would be in a lot of trouble,"  
Keiichi groaned.  
  
"Oh, what the hell! Let's go meet them," Kipp muttered, "After   
all, it can't be worse than survival training!"  
  
And with those brave words, Kipp went to meet his end/fate (the   
first choice is probably closer to the truth). Walking across a street   
proved to be rather difficult, especially when someone was driving down   
said road with a complete disregard for everyone else. Kipp was not   
amused.  
  
"WATCH WERE YOU'RE GOING!" Kipp yelled at the car parked in front   
of the clubhouse.  
  
It was a sleek sports car, one of those reserved only for people   
with way to much money on their hands. The driver too reflected the   
car's image, sleek, sophisticated, and dashing. Of course, with both   
the car and the driver, the reliability was up for grabs.  
  
"Gomen, I guess I was in a hurry and didn't see you," Aoshima   
grinned apologetically.  
  
Kipp probably would have accepted the apology... if Aoshima hadn't   
been oozing sleaze from every pore on his body. Rising from the ground,  
Kipp walked over to Aoshima and grabbed the startled man's shirt.  
  
"I should have you arrested for speeding and irresponsible   
driving," Kipp growled at Aoshima.  
  
"Now, now, it was an accident, and I am truly sorry for any   
problems I caused," Aoshima was still oozing.  
  
"Sure, and I'm not mad," Kipp growled, before Keiichi and   
Belldandy ran up.  
  
"Kipp-san, let him go, it was only an accident!" Keiichi cried,   
grabbing Kipp's arm.  
  
"Yeah sure it was, just like how it was only a friendly bet with   
Belldandy-sempai," Kipp growled, letting go of Aoshima.  
  
"That is a matter of honour, and I don't expect a person like you  
to understand," Aoshima shoot back.  
  
"Sure, and I'm willing to bet that you're only here to renew said   
bet," Kipp snarled.  
  
If looks could have killed, Aoshima would have been wiped out of   
existence for nodding his head. Kipp glared at the snobbish man for a  
moment longer before he stormed past him, and into the clubhouse.  
  
Inside, Kipp came across Sora again, who seemed surprised at   
Kipp's fierce look. Trembling slightly, Hasegawa greeted Kipp.  
  
"Kipp-san, how are you?" she asked.  
  
"Hasegawa-sempai, konnichi-wa," Kipp greeted distantly, "Where can   
I sign-up?"  
  
"Sign-up?" Sora asked confused.  
  
"For the club," Kipp said impatiently.  
  
"Oh! Right here!" Sora replied happily, pulling out a sheet of   
paper.  
  
Kipp merely nodded as he signed his name down on the sheet of   
paper.  
  
"Welcome aboard!" Hasegawa smiled as Kipp finished filling out the  
form.  
  
"Arigatou," Kipp replied, then headed back outside.  
  
***  
  
"Belldandy-san, what a surprise to see you here!" Aoshima   
exclaimed, kissing Belldandy's hand, "But don't you worry, soon, you   
shall be with a team worthier of your presence,"  
  
Needless to say, Tamiya and Ootaki began arguing with Aoshima...   
well Tamiya and Ootaki argued, and Aoshima tried, unsuccessfully, to woo  
Belldandy.  
  
"SHUT UP!" Kipp cried, emerging from the clubhouse.  
  
"Kipp-san?" Keiichi asked, concerned by the amount of anger Kipp   
was emitting.  
  
"That bet, I'm changing it, and you'll accept it, if you're a real   
man that is," Kipp remarked snidely.  
  
The last comment obviously did it, as Aoshima, not wanting to look   
wimpy in front of his heart's desire, accepted the bet. Of course, he   
wouldn't have if he had seen the fire in Kipp's eyes.  
  
"Good, then if your club loses, _I_ get to decide what you have to   
do... but don't worry, it won't be too bad," Kipp grinned evilly before   
turning on his heel and storming off.  
  
***  
  
"Seriously Kipp, did you have to get that mad?" Megumi asked Kipp  
as they walked back towards the parking lot.  
  
"Yes," Kipp mumbled, "Gomen, but people like him always get on my   
nerves."  
  
"He gets on mine to, but I don't go ballistic," Megumi countered.  
  
"Yeah, but I really hate people who try to break up a great couple   
like Belldandy-sempai and Keiichi-sempai," Kipp muttered.  
  
"You really are a hopeless romantic, aren't you?" Megumi teased.  
  
"Hush, if anyone found out my reputation would be ruined," Kipp   
grinned, "Gomen ne, I'll be back to my cheerful-self, once I get home."  
  
"We'll talk later!" Megumi called over her shoulder as she ran off   
towards the clubhouse.  
  
Mounting his bike, Kipp pulled on his helmet and drove out of the   
parking lot. Cruising along on speeds that should have had him pulled   
over, Kipp headed towards his apartment, which just so happened to pass  
by a certain temple.   
  
(Now please note that although the Mystic Vision isn't activated, most   
magic users can still sense when there has been a huge amount of mana   
used)   
  
"Nani?" Kipp exclaimed, feeling the familiar sensation associated  
with mana, "What's going on?"  
  
Glancing to his right, Kipp was taken back by the massive amount   
of mana emitting from the temple. Stopping his bike, Kipp dismounted   
and stared at the rare spectacle.  
  
"Suge! A kami still inhabits this place!" he whispered, "I've   
got to meet it!"  
  
Kipp pushed the gates open and stepped onto the main path of the  
compound. Glancing around for a priest, Kipp walked towards the large   
shrine.  
  
"Ano? Where are the priests?" he wondered aloud, before he caught  
sight of a massive cherry tree.   
  
The tree's blossoms had already fallen, and the leaves were   
starting to. But the tree's massive size wasn't what caught Kipp' eye,   
rather it was the uneasy feeling he was getting from it. Walking into  
the temple, Kipp quickly chanted the required spell.  
  
"MYSTIC VISION," Kipp's eyes flared brilliant white, then returned  
to normal.  
  
Ducking back outside, Kipp took another look at the tree and   
almost fainted. Amidst the dying leaves, the darkest aura he had ever   
seen was barely visible, only the barest outline was visible. Yet,   
within the outline, Kipp could feel the aura of a demon of great powers,  
one greater then Merlin could ever dream of slaying.  
  
"A First Class Demon," Kipp gasped in awe, his knees trembling in   
terror.  
  
Rushing to his bike, Kipp grabbed the seat and pulled. A series   
of beeps, squeaks, and other technical noises soon followed before the   
seat came off. Hidden beneath were Kipp's two pistols, a mana blade,  
the shield, and a large wrapped bundle.   
  
After equipping himself, Kipp replaced his backpack, with the   
bundle, and unwrapped the it, which revealed three components. The   
first was at least 80 cm long, 30 cm wide, and 30 cm tall. Shaped like   
a large rectangle for the first 30 cm, the rectangle merged into a   
cylinder with a radius of 15 cm. On the rectangular section, there was   
a empty slot, around 15 cm by 5 cm. At the back of the rectangle, a   
opening lead to a handle and a trigger. On either side of the cylinder,   
three 15 cm pistons were placed 10 cm apart.  
  
The second object, appeared to be a large diamond cut to fit   
snugly into the slot. The third was a long tube, the same size as the   
cylinder. At the very tip of the cylinder, a large lens rested, crystal   
clear and flawless. This large cannon was slung over his shoulder.   
  
Checking his equipment, Kipp walked back into the temple, to find  
a small mecha sweeping the garden.  
  
"Ano? What are you?" Kipp asked the strange hat wearing mecha.  
  
The mecha only gave Kipp a cursory glance, before returning to   
its task. Kipp looked at it for a moment, before walking behind the   
temple and towards the house.  
  
"Hmm, no-one's home," Kipp muttered to himself, propping the   
cannon up against a wall.  
  
Glancing around, Kipp walked up to the cherry tree, pulled out   
his pistols, and fired.  
  
When the demons failed to acknowledge him, Kipp calmly fired off   
two more rounds. When this didn't work, Kipp took aim at the demon and  
fired, which still did nothing.  
  
"Bakamono! It's pointless hiding! Get down here demon so I can   
smite your demonic ass back to Hell!" obviously Kipp didn't mind dying.  
  
"Very well Mortal, I'll oblige your demands... and enjoy your   
screams when I kill you!" the blond haired demoness roared.  
  
Leaping out of the tree, the demoness landed behind Kipp and   
grinned. Dressed in very revealing, very tight, shiny leathers, the   
demoness had two red lines, in the vague shape of a V, on her forehead.  
  
"Come to play?" she purred.  
  
"Who are you?" Kipp growled, levelling his guns at her head.  
  
"The names Mahler, but you can call me Mara," she replied,   
throatily, "And who might you be?"  
  
"Captain Kipp Long of the JSSDF:SDs. Why have you come to this   
holy ground?" Kipp asked, glaring at Mara.  
  
"Oh, just a score to settle, a job to do. Nothing for _you_ to be   
worried about. Now, why don't you run away, and save your own life,"  
Mara offered, pulling a black bullwhip out of nowhere.  
  
"Afraid I can't do that," Kipp replied, circling the demoness   
wearily, "There's a kami around here somewhere, and I have to protect   
it,"  
  
"You wouldn't happen to be the same boy who banished Morkpish and   
his minions, would you?" Mara inquired, licking her whip's grip   
seductively.  
  
"Ninth Class, around 190 cm, red skin, red eyes, and the rest of   
that crap. He was banished about a month ago, correct?" Kipp said  
matter-of-factly.  
  
"Ah, so you were the one! I'll make your death quick and   
painless, think of it as a present for getting rid of an annoyance,"   
Mara purred.  
  
"Will you stop that! I know you're not a damn succubus, so stop   
trying to seduce me!" Kipp yelled, "Let's just kill each other and get   
this over with!"  
  
With that said, Kipp began firing off blue bolts of mana, while   
running. Of course, Mara was a First Class demoness, so the shots did  
nothing more than bounce harmlessly off of her shield spell.  
  
"*Sigh*, you mortals, always thinking you can change your   
destinies. Face the music boy, you couldn't beat me on my worse day,"  
Mara taunted, stretching erotically.  
  
"DAMN YOU!" Kipp yelled, reloading his guns and firing some more.  
  
"Already been damned..." Mara trailed off as she saw the same   
robot from before roll around the corner... except it now had a large   
launcher over each shoulder, "Banpei!"  
  
Mara instantly launched a massive ball of energy at the machine,   
disabling it, but not destroying it. The machine wobbled around a bit,  
before another blast from Mara stopped it permanently.  
  
"There goes one annoyance," Mara sang, brushing her golden locks   
out of her eyes.  
  
"CHIKUSO! Why won't you die!?" Kipp screamed, reloading again.  
  
Mara, having had enough of Kipp's pistols, snapped her whip twice,  
pulling a pistol away both times.  
  
"Not that tough with out your weapons, ne?" she taunted again.  
  
"Who needs weapons, when they have magic," Kipp growled, smiling   
darkly.  
  
Cupping his palms, Kipp began concentrating a large amount of   
light mana in between his hands.  
  
"Spirits of Light,   
I summon thee to fulfill thy purpose,  
Darkness and Pain,  
Evil and Death,  
Counter thy foe,  
Powers of Light,  
Surrender thy strength,  
Give me the power,  
To Cleanse the World!"  
  
The throbbing white light between Kipp's hands began to pulsate   
faster and faster. The light began to grow brighter and brighter, as  
if it could senses it's ancient enemy.  
  
"SUPER NOVA!"  
  
The ball of light exploded forward in a brilliant flash of white   
divine light, hurtling forward at speeds faster then sound. In the   
instant it took to travel the distance between Kipp and Mara, the   
demoness had already erected another shield, curious to see the results.  
  
The Super Nova connected with the demoness' shield, exploding upon  
contact in a fiery display of light and sparks. Unfortunately, the   
attack did very little to Mara's shield, only shaking it slightly.  
  
"My, aren't we special. I've have never seen a mortal do such a   
powerful spell in this day and age," Mara remarked, genuine surprise on  
her face.  
  
"You like magic eh? Have some more!" Kipp cried, "ELEMENTAL   
STRIKE!"  
  
The massive ball of energy did only a bit more to the shield,   
shaking for a few seconds longer.  
  
"Usually you humans try to fight us superior beings with your   
primitive technology," Mara commented lightly.  
  
"You want technology do you? Then try this!" Kipp yelled, rushing   
towards the cannon.  
  
Grabbing the massive gun, Kipp shoved his right hand into the   
opening, while his left hand supported the weight of the weapon.   
Levelling the barrel at Mara, Kipp grinned ferally.  
  
"Say hello to the Atlantian Elemental Canon!" Kipp smirked, "This   
baby can destroy even the most annoying demon in a single blast."  
  
"But has it ever been tested on a Demoness like me?" Mara asked,  
advancing on Kipp.  
  
"No, but the results will be seen real soon," Kipp growled as he   
pulled the trigger.  
  
Almost instantly, a large swirling ball of energy appeared at the   
nozzle, growing larger and brighter every passing second. Yelling a   
battle cry, Kipp pointed the weapon at the startled demon and released  
the trigger.   
  
As the blast exploded from the gun, all six pistons hissing  
as huge gouts of steam purred out of them. The blast itself flew   
through the air, dragging a sonic boom behind it. In an incredible   
explosion of raw mana, the blast managed to give Mara's shield a hair   
line 'crack'.  
  
"Very impressive! It has been a while since I killed an   
Atlantian, they're surprisingly resistant to pain," Mara grinned darkly.  
  
"Sorry to deprive you of that pleasure, but I ain't no Atlantian,   
only a man using Atlantis' technology... but I doubt that really   
matters," Kipp muttered, reaching for his sword.  
  
"Oh well, then I guess your death will have to be that much more  
painful," Mara smirked.  
  
Just as Kipp grabbed his sword, another blast from Mara slammed   
into his chest, frying his shirt, and sending him hurtling towards the  
temple walls.  
  
***  
  
Zipping down the road, Keiichi, Belldandy and Megumi drove by.   
The first two were using Keiichi's bike and sidecar, while Megumi was on   
her own. Yet, although apart, all of their thoughts were on the strange  
boy who had just entered their life.   
  
As they rounded the bend, the temple came into sight. But at that  
same moment, a form came crashing through the wall, and landed, heavily,  
on the street.  
  
"What the!" Keiichi cried, stopping the bike.  
  
Climbing out of her seat Belldandy rushed over to the prone figure   
and gasped, "Kipp-san!"  
  
"MARA!!" Kipp cried, ignoring Belldandy.  
  
Jumping up, Kipp pulled out his mana blade, ignited it, and   
charged back into he temple, leaving the other three in shock.  
  
"Come back for more have we?" Mara teased, "Come and get it!"  
  
"DIE!!" Kipp screamed, his shield snapping open.  
  
Another black bolt of energy flew from Mara's hands, slamming into   
the shield, but doing nothing other then that. Frowning, Mara fired   
another blast, with the same results.  
  
Kipp thought, raising his sword over his head, and   
driving it into the crack in the shield.  
  
The results were spectacular as large arcs of energy flew from the  
crack, destroying grass and walls alike.   
  
"Mara!" Urd cried, rushing out of the house.  
  
"Urd, Belldandy, so nice to see you!" Mara sneered, spying the two  
goddesses, "The squirt's not back yet? Too bad, she won't get to see me   
in my full glory!"  
  
Speech finished, Mara used her whip on Kipp, each strike leaving   
behind deep gashes. Yet Kipp refused to let up, pushing harder,   
ignoring everything, except the energy shield.  
  
"You sure you're not an Atlantian? Oh well, you'll have to die   
now," the demon shrugged, reaching through the barrier, and grabbing   
Kipp around the neck, the other hand forced the sword out of his grasp.  
  
"I've always wanted to see what happens to mortals when they're  
touched by Hellfire," Mara smiled evilly, raising her free hand.  
  
Kipp's eyes widened, and his hands fought harder to free his neck  
when Mara's clenched fist burst into black flames. Belldandy and Urd  
both prepared spells, but Kipp was positioned exactly between them and  
Mara.  
  
"Say hello to Death for me," Mara smiled one last time before   
slamming her fist into his gut.  
  
"ARRRRGH!" Kipp screamed, slamming into the ground, clutching his  
stomach in pain.  
  
"Hmm, I expected more," Mara muttered, disappointed.  
  
And as if by command, the wound began to smoke as Kipp's flesh   
began heating up.  
  
"That's better!" Mara cried in delight, then disappeared in a gout   
of sulphuric smoke.  
  
"Kipp-san!" Belldandy cried, rushing towards the withering mess.  
  
Placing her hands over his body, Belldandy began to chant, the   
glow from her hands, soothing the wounds slightly.  
  
"Urd-oneesan! Get one of your positions!" Belldandy called,   
concentrating on the spell.  
  
"I'll be right back!" Urd called, rushing towards her lab.  
  
"Megumi-chan, Keiichi-san, prepare a futon for him!" Belldandy   
turned to the two mortals, "I don't think he'll be able to move after   
this!"  
  
The two nodded and ran into the house, almost running into Urd.  
Rushing up to the man, Urd unscrewed one of her many bottles and poured   
the contents down his throat. Another was opened and poured over the   
wound, which seemed to stop the smoking.  
  
"Belldandy! Don't stop, Hellfire's greatest danger is when it   
looks like it has disappeared," Urd warned, adding her power to   
Belldandy's spell.  
  
"Please Kipp-san! Fight it! Don't die!" Belldandy cried,   
forcing the power into his dieing body.  
  
And then, almost as an anti-climax, the smoking stopped, the   
darkness disappeared, and Kipp stopped trembling. Scanning his body   
for remains of the dark magicks, Belldandy sighed in relief.  
  
"It's gone," she sighed, wiping her forehead.  
  
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Casanova," Urd smiled, glancing at   
Kipp's sleeping form.  
  
"You know him Oneesan?" Belldandy asked, glancing at Urd.  
  
"He was with Megumi when I was looking for you," Urd replied.  
  
"Let's get him into the house, he won't wake up for a while,"   
Belldandy suggested, levitating the boy's comatose body.  
  
"The guest room's been prepared," Megumi called, leading the way.  
  
"Is he alright?" Keiichi asked, concern evident in his voice.  
  
"He should be, all he needs now is sleep, so his body can restore   
itself," Urd informed him.  
  
But it was Belldandy that brought up the most important question.  
  
"Why was he fighting with Mara? And why were they talking about   
the Atlantians?" she asked, confused.  
  
"Atlantians? As in the lost city of Atlantis?" Keiichi asked, the  
myth coming to mind.  
  
"Yes the Atlantians," Urd replied, "They were renowned for their   
ability to mix magic and technology... and famed for their skills as   
demon slayers."  
  
"Demon slayers? Then maybe that's why Kipp was fighting with   
Mara, that is if he is an Atlantian," Megumi spoke up.  
  
"Impossible, Atlantis was sunk 14 000 years ago, all of its   
citizens died either that day, or in the following years. The few that  
did survive, eventually forgot of the city and its wonders," Belldandy  
informed them.  
  
"ONEESAMA!" Skuld cried, rushing out of the washroom, and into   
Belldandy's arms.  
  
"Skuld-chan!" Belldandy laughed, hugging her little sister.  
  
"Welcome back squirt," Urd teased, leaning on the younger goddess'   
head.  
  
"Urd! you're so immature!" Skuld fumed.  
  
"And you aren't?" Urd shot back.  
  
"Ano? Are we forgetting someone?" Megumi asked, pointing to   
Kipp's floating body.  
  
"Who?" Skuld asked, trying to get a peek around Urd.  
  
"A mortal who tried to fight Mara," Urd replied, pushing Kipp  
into the guest room.  
  
"I'll go get some bandages, that wound still looks fresh," Keiichi  
suggested, glancing at the burn marks across Kipp's abdomen.  
  
"Why don't you just heal him?" Skuld asked, still trying to see   
the mysterious man.  
  
"Because Mara used Hellfire on him, and as you _should_ know,   
Hellfire, if you survive, will leave marks that will only disappear over   
time... unless you can get hold of an Archangel," Urd muttered.  
  
"But how did he survive?" Megumi asked, "If it's that deadly, why   
wasn't he killed instantly?"  
  
"I think it might have to do with the fact that Hellfire was   
designed to cause immense amounts of pain before killing. He probably   
survived because we were able to tend to him as soon as he was hit,"  
Belldandy supplied.  
  
"Hey! I found this inside!" Keiichi called out, rushing back to   
the group, "It fell through the kitchen window."  
  
In his hands, were the remains of Kipp's mana blade. The blade   
was obviously ruined as the green gem was partially melted, and the hilt   
was missing 5 cm, also melted off.  
  
"That's _his_ sword!" Skuld cried, grabbing the weapon out of   
Keiichi's hands, "But that means that..."  
  
Shoving Urd aside, Skuld finally got a good look at the mystery   
man, and to say she was surprised would be an understatement.  
  
"LONG-SAN!" she cried, rushing to the futon's side.  
  
"You know him!?" Urd screamed, bewildered.  
  
"Of course I know him! He was the one who helped me banish   
Morkpish," Skuld muttered, staring at Kipp's features.  
  
"Then that's why he was fighting with Mara, and that's..." Megumi   
whispered, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place.  
  
***  
  
"Ughh" Kipp groaned, raising an arm to his eyes, "What is that   
ungodly light?"  
  
Slowly opening his eyes, Kipp waited for them to finish adjusting,   
before taking a look at his surroundings.  
  
"So this is Hell... or Heaven, a simple room, with a really   
annoying light source," he growled to himself.  
  
Of course, Kipp's conclusion was shattered when he saw the   
bandages wrapped around his midsection. Groaning to himself, Kipp   
gingerly poked himself, and hissed when the pain assured him he was   
alive... and in a hell of a lot of pain.  
  
"Great, either Mara wants to torture me, or the kami here felt   
like keeping me alive. Frankly, I'm not sure which is worse," Kipp   
muttered to himself, recalling all of the horror stories Merlin used to   
tell him.  
  
Rising from the futon, Kipp finally noticed he had only his pair   
of jeans on, nothing else, not even a pair of socks. Grumbling to   
himself, and continuing the favourite past-time of anyone with a   
hangover (that is cursing everything they can think of), Kipp took a few   
steps towards the room's door, only to find that his legs couldn't   
support him properly. Crashing to the floor in a heap didn't improve   
his mood much.  
  
"When I get my hands on Mara, I'm going to make her regret ever   
having thought of having an impure thought," Kipp growled, trying to   
rise, "And I'm fairly certain that made absolutely no sense whatsoever."  
  
Having finally risen, Kipp stumbled to the walls, and tried to use   
them for support. This proved to be a dumb thing to do, for the walls   
were nothing more than paper with wooden frames.  
  
*Thump*  
  
"I hate my life," Kipp growled, picking himself off of the ground.  
  
Contemplating both his bad luck, and how to best explore his   
surroundings, Kipp's honed magical senses told him of a very startling  
discovery. There was a massive amount of divine power in the building.  
  
"MYSTIC VISION," Kipp mumbled.  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
"Chikuso! I'm too weak!" Kipp growled, rising to his feet again.  
  
Slowly hobbling down the hallway, Kipp began analyzing in his   
situation. a) He was probably in some demon's lair. b) His physical  
condition was terrible. c) His magical abilities were severely   
hampered. d) He was having the mother of all headaches. Things were   
looking bad. Things were looking really bad.  
  
"I hate my life," Kipp grumbled, reaching a bend in the hallway.  
  
Down the bend, five voices could be heard talking. Four were   
female, and one was male. But the good thing was that all of them were  
familiar.  
  
"Konnichi-wa... or is it Konban-wa?" Kipp grinned, as he rounded   
the corner.  
  
"Kipp-san! You should be in bed!" Belldandy cried, rushing to   
Kipp's side.  
  
"Shouldn't that sleep spell be working?" Keiichi asked Urd, who   
just shrugged her shoulders in confusion.  
  
"I'm finAHHHHHHHH!" Kipp screamed, his head exploding in red hot   
pain.  
  
"Kipp/Long-san!" Belldandy and Skuld cried at the same time.  
  
"ARGH! GET AWAY FROM THEM! AIEEEEEE!" Kipp convulsed onto the   
ground, his eyes clenched tightly shut.  
  
"What's going on?!" Megumi cried, watching helplessly.  
  
"Is this part of the Hellfire spell?" Keiichi asked, trying to   
hold Kipp down.  
  
"No, his mind seems to be in turmoil," Belldandy cried, her hands  
and markings glowing, "He's remembering a traumatic event."  
  
"ENDYMION! NOOOOO!" Kipp screamed, tears falling from his eyes.  
  
"Endymion?" Urd whispered to herself, the name sounding vaguely   
familiar.  
  
"PRINCESS! NOOOOO!" Kipp screamed again, the tears falling faster.  
  
"Princess? Princess who?" Megumi muttered, helping Keiichi subdue   
Kipp's wild thrashing.  
  
"Please Serenity! Don't do _it_" the last words were whispered,   
the pain and urgency evident, but the pain even more so.  
  
"Serenity..." Urd's memories began to stir.  
  
"Please, let me do this! Don't sacrifice yourself! SERENITY!   
DON'T DO IT! SERENITY! NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Kipp screamed one last time,   
before he stopped convulsing, lapsing into unconsciousness.  
  
"An Atlantian. He's one of the 'Chosen'!" Urd cried, the memories   
rushing back.  
  
"The Chosen?! Are you certain?" Belldandy asked, turning to Urd.  
  
"The Chosen? Who are they?" Keiichi, Megumi, and Skuld all asked   
in unison.  
  
Urd smiled slightly before saying, "It's story time children,   
gather around!"  
  
She was quickly bombarded with various flying objects.  
  
***  
  
Long, long ago... about 14 000 years ago, humanity flourished   
across the solar system. Through out the worlds, humanity and mystics   
lived in peace and harmony. Although each world had its own rulers,   
the kingdoms were all united under a single ruler. This was the kind,   
and fair Queen Serenity, and her kingdom on the Earth's moon, Luna. The   
Serenity family managed to keep the peace for over a millennium, by   
creating strong bonds of friendship and family between the many heirs.  
  
The bonds between the families were forged by having the eldest  
hairs of the Kingdoms join the elite guard of system, the Senshi.  
Although only the eldest became famous, many of the other heirs   
learned of teamwork, compassion, and wisdom in the ranks of Senshi. The  
Senshi were responsible for the protection of the Sol System and the   
peace within it. Over time, it became a great joy for the many sons  
and daughters to meet, their 'cousins', for many of them were childhood  
friends.  
  
Greatest of these kingdoms was the kingdom of Atlantis, here on  
Earth. The wise and just family of Endymion ruled this kingdom.  
The Kingdom of Atlantis was that of a patriarch, while the Moon Kingdom  
was a matriarch. From the Endymion line came two sons. The eldest was  
named Endymion, and he grew up to be a great fighter, and an even wiser   
prince.   
  
The second son was named Hyperion for the Gods of the Sun had  
blessed him on the day of his birth. He became an even greater warrior  
than his brother, and although Endymion later fell in love with the  
young Princess Serenity, Hyperion remained a brother figure for the   
Senshi, never falling in love.   
  
The peace that ruled the land was broken when Beryl, a Lady of   
Earth, who was madly in love with Prince Endymion, fell over to the   
Darkness. Seduced by the promises it made, Beryl began to plot the   
downfall of the Sol Alliance with a First Class Demoness called   
Metallia. Together, the two managed to capture four of the Guardians   
of Earth and corrupt them against their pledges. These four guardians   
were the very same guardians who were assigned to the protection of the   
two princes.  
  
Over the course of several years, Beryl managed to open a portal   
to Hell, and bring over an army of minor demons. But they were many,  
many, more than the earth's army, the Virtues. Attacking from the   
darkness Beryl's army managed to completely destroy Earth's major cities   
in several weeks of intense battle. With Earth destroyed, all Beryl had  
to do was kill Serenity, and Endymion would run into her arms, or so   
Metallia said. But Beryl had gone completely mad, so Metallia's   
encouragement was not needed.  
  
A month later, the survivors of Earth, the two princes included,   
managed to convince the Senshi and the rest of the worlds to fully arm   
themselves, unfortunately, they were to late. In the course of a month,  
Beryl had managed to completely destroy every kingdom, leaving the Moon  
isolated, frightened, and hopeless. And yet, when Beryl attacked, her  
forces outnumbering the Lunar Guard 10/1, the people still fought.   
There, Hyperion was captured, and forced to watch each of the Senshi  
brutally killed before his eyes, killed by the four guardians he had   
trusted.   
  
But the true terror was when Endymion confronted Beryl, and   
revealed his feelings for Princess Serenity. In a fit of insanity,   
Beryl and Metallia joined forces, obliterating all untainted life on the  
Moon, all except Queen Serenity. Grief stricken, and sickened by the   
darkness that had taken Beryl, Serenity revealed the true power of the  
Moon Kingdom, the Silver Crystal, also known as the Ginzuishou. The   
Ginzuishou was a divine gem, forged by the Archangels themselves.   
Blessed with the power to amplify the powers of one using it, the   
Crystal was partially sentient, being able to choose the one who wielded  
it. Channelling her very soul into the crystal, Serenity managed to   
force all the souls on the Moon, except her own into the future, to be   
reborn.  
  
The ones sent forward, were hence forth called the 'Chosen,' for   
two reasons. The first because each Senshi was chosen by the Alpha gods   
of their planets, making them powerful champions of the Light. The   
second being these are the ones chosen by Destiny to defeat Beryl, and   
possibly bring about an age of peace.  
  
***  
  
"Poor child, to have to relive the horrors of that day," Belldandy   
sobbed, stroking Kipp's hair.  
  
"But who is he?" Keiichi asked, "No, who _was_ he then?"  
  
"I don't know, but probably someone closely associated with the   
royal families," Urd replied, "The people loved them, but when he called   
out... it was soul wrenching."  
  
"I'm Hyperion," Kipp groaned, slowly sitting up.  
  
"NANI!?" the rest cried, staring at the startled young man.  
  
"At least that's what these... memories are telling me," Kipp   
muttered, then he brightened, "At least I'm not crazy!"  
  
"Har har, that isn't funny," Megumi smacked Kipp upside the head.  
  
"Ite! I'm a broken man here!" Kipp grumbled, turning towards the  
three sisters.  
  
Taking a deep look at each... well actually a deep look at   
Belldandy and Urd, Kipp bowed to all three.  
  
"Arigatou gozaimasu... Goddesses," Kipp whispered.  
  
"It was our duty, and our pleasure," Belldandy smiled.  
  
"Thank you anyways. With out your aid, I'd probably be dead,"   
Kipp grinned, but they could tell it didn't reach his eyes.  
  
"Why were you fighting with Mara? And who are you really?" Megumi   
asked, glaring suspiciously at Kipp.  
  
"They know?" Kipp asked the goddesses.  
  
"They do," was the reply.  
  
"Interesting, three goddesses, and two university students living   
in a sacred temple, plagued by a demoness... Hikari'd probably laugh her   
ass of at this," Kipp muttered to himself, then returned to Megumi's   
question, "I'm Captain Kipp Long of the JSSDF:SD."  
  
"Captain!? JSSDF?!" were the most repeated words in the confusion   
that followed.  
  
"Yes, Captain," Kipp sighed, "And the SD's mission is to hunt   
down all hostile beings of divine or demonic descent."  
  
"That's why you couldn't talk about your job," Keiichi mumbled.  
  
"Skuld-san here knows that, mainly because she saved my ass last   
month," Kipp grinned at the young goddess.  
  
"So this is the 'Hero' you were babbling about," Urd teased,   
"You've been reading way too much manga."  
  
"Shut up Urd!" Skuld growled, brandishing her hammer... which   
looked very silly, considering the fact that it was tiny in her larger   
hands.  
  
"Stop that you two! We have a guest," Belldandy scolded.  
  
The two meekly sat back down, unable to stand Belldandy's wrath.  
  
"If you'll excuse me, I have to get home..." Kipp got up, only to   
be shoved back into his seat by Megumi.  
  
"You aren't leaving this place until you start explaining the   
reason you were fighting with Mara, why you know magic, and how come   
you, a sixteen year-old, is the captain in the JSSDF," Megumi ordered.  
  
"I really don't see why, after all it is my life," Kipp was   
obviously bad at following orders.  
  
"Because if you don't... I'll tell the entire school about your   
'secret' life," Megumi threatened.  
  
"And they would believe you because?" Kipp asked glibly.  
  
"Dammit! Kipp, we're your friends, so why won't you let us help   
you?" Keiichi said, frustration getting the better of him.  
  
"Because, you probably have enough of your own problems, you don't   
need to be saddled down with mine," Kipp replied sadly.  
  
"Problems? What problems?" Keiichi grinned, glancing at   
Belldandy.  
  
"Right, forgot about that, but still, I won't have anyone bear the   
problems that are mine," Kipp muttered.  
  
"Dammit, if you don't start talking, I'll zap you!" Urd   
threatened.  
  
"And attract a dozen demons here?" Kipp asked smugly.  
  
"Oh they won't come," Urd replied, a dangerous gleam in her eyes.  
  
"I'm not leaving am I," Kipp asked.  
  
Everyone shook their heads.  
  
"Kami-sama, why?" Kipp pleaded to the heavens.  
  
"Har har, spill it already," Urd said, leaning against the table.  
  
"I hate my life," Kipp sighed before beginning his tale.  
  
***  
  
I was adopted you see. My birth family lived in a rural fishing   
villages, on the east coast of... well I'm not sure really. Anyways, it   
was a small little town and everyone knew everyone. I grew up as all   
babies did there, crying, eating, sleeping, falling into the water, etc.  
It was a normal happy life, on that I miss.  
  
It was on my second birthday when it all came to an end. I can   
recall the details down to the finest points, and I wish I couldn't.   
From over the horizon, darkness came, shadowing the land, and killing   
the fish. The darkness lasted for days, but when nobody died, they   
became angered. They were demons, dozens of them, and each were out for   
blood.  
  
On the thirteenth day of darkness, they were the dramatic type,  
they struck. rushing our town in a terrifying mass, the creatures began  
to feast. They killed everyone in the most brutal fashion I have every   
seen. But they weren't done, they destroyed the buildings as well,   
poisoned the wells, killed the livestock, and burnt down the forests.   
They ravaged, defiled, and destroyed everything.  
  
I survived only because my parents covered me in their blood,   
knocked me out, placed me in a boat, and pushed me out into the ocean.  
The last thing I remember, was floating down the coast, a bright reddish   
glow fading from sight.  
  
I was later found by the police, and when they learned of my   
origins, I was placed in a orphanage. As for the psychological stuff, I  
became secluded, I rarely ate, I never played, and I spent most of my   
time staying awake, on fear of reliving the event. In short, I was a   
seriously messed up two year old. It wasn't until two years later that  
I was finally able to emerge from my shell, to face the real world...   
thanks to Setsuna Meiou.  
  
Setsuna was an eleven-year-old girl who lived near the orphanage.  
Her mother visited a lot before she died, so Setsuna visited frequently,  
to honour her mother, and because she loved playing with the younger   
children. She took a special interest in me when she learned that I had  
seen my parents die. She spent hours of her time, comforting me,   
feeding me, and just being there for me. She became the older sister I   
never had. Not in words, in actions.   
  
When I finally did emerge, the orphanage begged Setsuna's father   
to adopt me, so that I could stay with Setsuna. They felt that I really   
needed Setsuna, for both support, and because she and I really were like   
family. Eventually, Meiou-san collapsed, well not eventually, more like  
three sessions of Setsuna's puppy dog attack. Anyways, I was adopted   
into the family of two, and I began to live a normal life again.  
  
It was a few years later that we moved away, to Tokyo actually. I   
was almost ten, Setsuna was sixteen, and very popular with the guys.   
Which led to me being 'different' from everyone else. You see, I never   
really got into any tight spots, mainly because all of the older guys   
would look out for me, based on the fact that Setsuna loved me, and if   
they helped me, Setsuna would like them. I hated it.  
  
I rarely made any friends, mainly because parents feared me.   
They'd point at me and gossip about how I was the only survivor, how I   
was the only one among hundreds to live through that, that, that...  
They didn't want their children around me, after all, I could be a   
little unstable. Watching everyone die does that to people. Life   
sucked.  
  
And then I turned twelve. With the added abilities of a near-   
adolescent boy, I became curious about what Meiou-san did, after all, we  
were quite rich. Since I had very few friends... one to be exact, I   
decided to follow my father to work. I woke up really early one day,   
snuck into the car's trunk and waited. Why the trunk? Well our car was  
one of those where the backseat had a connection into the trunk, so I   
could hide from sight, yet still leave whenever I wanted. I didn't wait  
long, as my father usually left early as well. The biggest mistake of   
my life had just began.  
  
I don't know how long I was jousted around, but eventually the car   
stopped... and yes the engine was turned off, I wasn't that stupid. I   
waited a bit, to make sure no one was watching, then I rushed out of the   
trunk, and into the backseat. A glance out the window showed that we   
were in a clearing, in the middle of a forest. Making sure that there   
were no observers, I darted out of the car, and into the cover of the   
surrounding trees. That was when I began to take in the sights.  
  
The clearing had exactly eight large trucks. Five held men in   
combat fatigues, two held what looked like supplies, and the last was a  
large com-centre. To my young mind, it looked like a something out of a  
war movie, which lead to the conclusion that my father was a soldier.   
It was close, but I'll get to that later. My father talked to several   
of the important looking people for a while, who then ordered the armed   
soldiers into the woods. I was small then, but I managed to keep in a   
close distance of a couple of meters... several dozen meters... okay,   
several dozen meters and falling rapidly.  
  
When I did manage to catch up, they were in a huge fight with   
several dozen creatures. They were losing, and I was too startled to   
fall back with them, I just stood there, staring at the things, the   
things that looked so much like the ones that murdered my family.  
When I was finally able to move, it was too late. One of the demons had  
seen me, and decided to learn if children really did taste better then   
adults, bad thing for me.   
  
I was smashed around, beaten, cut, and all of the rest of that   
junk. The thing broke my arm, dislocated the other shoulder, cracked   
three ribs, and was in the process of breaking a leg when I finally   
blacked out. When I came to, I was told of what had happened, and it   
scared me more then anything ever had.  
  
Apparently, just before I blacked out, my eyes started to glow.   
That was all the warning the demons got as something emerged from my   
body, something... Divine. They say it looked like a human made of   
white and blue light, with six feathery, white wings on its back. It  
looked around for a bit, then its white 'eyes' focused on the demon   
holding me, and it went berserk. Every single one of the demons were   
killed, hunted down by the being. When it had killed the last of the   
things, it returned to my sleeping form, and some of the soldiers could   
have sworn that it had smiled at me. If it really did, no one will ever   
know, but it did heal all of my wounds, before it disappeared in a ray   
of light.  
  
But before the being left, it turned to me and whispered   
something, something that changed everything in my life. It whispered,   
"Hyperion, our promise, has been fulfilled. I await your return my   
friend."  
  
At first, they believed that I was a god, sent to Earth, but   
Merlin quickly destroyed that idea. How? Simple, every being has a   
certain amount of spiritual energy correct? Gods obviously have a lot   
more then any mortal. But when a god is 'born' as a mortal, their   
powers are removed. Yet, even when gone, there is still a strong bond,   
a residue of the powers that were there. I didn't have that residue.  
  
But I did have a lot of untapped spiritual energy, and a very high   
mana potential. Which lead to me new choices in life, join the   
JSSDF:SDs, which was lead by General Meiou, my father, and take revenge   
on the bastards that killed my family, or go home, to the crappy life I   
lead. I signed up then and there.  
  
The next two years were the hardest in my life. You see, the   
JSSDF:SDs were a relatively new division, formed when the government   
officials finally got their heads out of their asses and took a look   
around... that and the immortal Merlin had to brow beat them a bit.   
Either way, the ranks were small, mainly because Intelligence wasn't   
very good at tracking down paranormals for the SDs ranks, but then   
Intel's not very good at getting much info on anything that isn't human.  
This lead to me being drafted, and this also lead to me being picked to   
be Merlin's new trainee.  
  
Well actually, Merlin picked me because he wanted a specialist in   
each region, so he decided to start training one in every country that   
had a SD division. I was chosen because I had one of the largest   
spiritual potentials he had ever seen, I could tap huge amounts of mana  
at twelve, and because I had a very weak ESP, very, very weak. But I   
still had tones of other abilities, added to the fact that an angel   
wanted to protect me, I was the most logical choice.  
  
For the next two years, I trained under Merlin-sensei, learning   
mystic lore and all of that jargon. The rest of the time I spent as any   
other new recruit to the JSDF, under intense physical and mental   
training. By the end of the first year, I was in top physical   
condition. My mental condition was also quite exceptional, considering   
the fact that I was already in my last year of high school. Eventually,   
I was assigned as squad leader of the rookie team, Espers. Why Espers?   
Well, mainly because all of us had at least a basic ESP capability, and   
one of our members, the communications officer, Amatsu Hikari, who is   
now my best friend by the way, was... no _is_ a huge anime buff, and she   
was into this manga at the time, which was about a boy with ESP.   
Kimagure Orange Road, god, I prey I never have to see another freaking   
episode of that stuff. I mean it was okay the first time around, but   
then she just had to show the entire 26-episode thing FIVE HUNDRED   
freaking times!  
  
But that's beside the point, the Espers were still the best group   
around, featuring a 90% success rate. There were a total of six of us,  
four field agents, and one communications officer, and an intelligence   
agent. The four field agents are; Hamasaki Hiroshi, Kagirinai Makoto,   
and Kenshin Rantora, and myself. The intelligence agent is Saitoku   
Hikaru, who works with the JSSDF, but is a hell of a lot more   
competent. And Amatsu Hikari is our communications officer, because   
she has the strongest ESP amongst the entire SDs, and she also likes her   
job way too much.  
  
Anyhoo, as the six of us went through the ranks at incredible   
speed, one promotion after another, but that was because what we could   
do to twice as many demons as twenty JSDF soldiers. I still remain the   
leader of the Espers today, but many of us have been assigned to either   
help train the new recruits the JSSDF keep finding, or continue field   
work, like myself and Rantora, and Hikari likes her job way too much to  
give it to anyone else... and because she just gets a thrill at   
pestering me.  
  
Along with the mystic, physical, and mental training we received,   
we were also trained in the usage of many different types of weapons   
and fighting styles, survival training, which included basic medicine,  
strategy, ninjetsu training, mainly the stealth part, and how to pilot  
various vehicles... which is why I could drive a motorcycle around, even  
if I am underage. Heh, I even have a certified license to drive tanks.  
  
We learned a lot more stuff then even I care to remember, but then  
that was one of the benefits of the JSSDF, they made sure you were of   
the smartest people around, and if you weren't, then they made you one.  
But the thing was that I seemed to know a hell of a lot more then I was   
supposed to, hell I could do grade ten physics when I was twelve! I   
finished homework easily, and whenever I would freeze in a test,   
something would whisper in my mind the answer. And then the dreams   
started.  
  
I had turned fifteen, when they began, dreams of faces, people,   
things, places, all blurry, but hauntingly familiar. At first, they   
were just blurs, but over time, they became clearer, until I had every   
single one committed to memory, until I could identify them on the   
streets, then the real memories began, almost in chronological order.  
I relived the entire life of a prince named Hyperion, watching every   
single moment of his life, understanding each and every scene perfectly,  
feeling everything he felt. Over the next year and a half, I lived   
Hyperion's life at night, lived it until every single person he loved, I  
loved as well, he and I might as well have been one since both of our   
personalities were so similar, hell both of us were traumatized when   
we were young, from being attacked by demons.  
  
But then I finally understood why I had Hyperion's memories, why   
he and I were so similar, he was I. The last half-year was spent   
reliving the final battle of the Moon Kingdom, the last days of the Sol   
Alliance. I watched in the final battle as Hyperion was crippled, then   
forced to watch each of his loved ones brutally executed, before   
Hyperion's rage burst, forcing him to slaughter the four traitors. I   
watched as the gentle Queen Serenity sacrificed her soul to save her   
children's, and I too yelled with Hyperion for her to stop, for her to  
let me... no, us, to take her place. But she only smiled sadly and   
told Hyperion that he too was dear to her... and then everything blacked   
out.  
  
I've been reliving that battle for the last three months, every   
night the same hell, and every night, I swear an oath to kill Beryl if I   
ever find her. But the Fates weren't done with me, for just under a   
month ago, the memories started to show up when I was awake, striking   
and then disappearing, causing almost catatonic states.  
  
And that brings us here, where I'm on leave, for an undetermined   
length of time. It's funny really, normally, I would never tell anyone   
my life, they don't need the burden. But you guys... err, you ladies,   
and the lone guy, are... different... that'll have to do. You all   
remind me of Hyperion's friend, and of my own.  
  
***  
  
Kipp grinned to himself, glancing at the shocked faces around   
himself. Stretching his arms, Kipp got to his feet and started looked   
around the room.  
  
"Sit down now, you're not getting away that easily," Megumi half   
growled, half whispered.  
  
"After someone tells me where my stuff is, it is kind of getting   
cold in here," Kipp replied, gesturing towards his bare chest.  
  
Skuld and Megumi both blushed upon glancing at Kipp's well toned   
body, while Urd only chuckled at the two, both reactions caused Kipp to  
blush and search even harder for his clothing. luckily, none of them   
noticed the faded scars on his body, none except Belldandy, who decided   
not to comment.  
  
"Um, your shirt was destroyed by Mara, but I think I might have a   
sweater in your size. As to your jacket, I couldn't find it, but it   
might be inside your bike, I haven't checked," Keiichi supplied, heading   
towards his room in search of the sweater.  
  
"What, you haven't taken it apart yet?" Kipp called after him,   
which invoked a laugh from everyone.  
  
"Long-san, most mortals that I know of can never deal with that   
pain, especially at such a young age," Belldandy whispered softly.  
  
"Well, if what Urd-san tells me is true, then technically I'm   
thirty-five, since I am Hyperion," Kipp replied lightly, before his   
voice sobered, "It's hard, very hard, but eventually you learn to deal   
with it, to be able to stand the pain... and the loneliness."  
  
Kipp grinned again, but the smile never reached his eyes, like so   
many others before it. Deciding to change the subject, Kipp turned to   
Skuld and looked at her questioningly.  
  
"N-nani?" Skuld asked nervously under the scrutiny.  
  
"Oh, just wondering how you've been for the past month. You know   
it's not everyday you meet a goddess that's saved your life, again,"   
Kipp smiled.  
  
"Oh, umm, okay I guess," Skuld blushed, "Besides, you did most of   
the work!"  
  
"Not really, but thanks for the complement," Kipp winked before   
turning to Keiichi, and the bright yellow sweater he was carrying.  
  
"Sorry about the colour," Keiichi grinned sheepishly, handing the   
sweater to the horrified Kipp.  
  
"I swear, I have never seen anything so... so... _yellow_," Kipp   
exclaimed, before shrugging and putting the sweater on, "At least it   
fits."  
  
Then turning back to the table, Kipp slowly examined each of their  
faces, trying to find some sort of comfort, and almost a look of fear.  
one that he had worn many times, for all of the times he had ever told  
a 'friend' his life, his job, and his 'other'. Prying to any kami,   
gods, and spirits that cared, Kipp looked apprehensively at those   
gathered at the table, waiting for a response.  
  
"Kipp, how do you live with it?" Megumi asked quietly, "How do you   
deal with the pain, and don't give me that 35 crap."  
  
"I told you, I just do, I fight it like how I fight everything,   
never giving an inch, and never giving up," Kipp replied quietly, "That   
is my creed, my life, and my law. To do any less is to be a coward, to   
be a weakling, and I am not a weakling, nor will I ever be!"  
  
The last was spoken so vehemently, that Megumi actually flinched,  
turning away from the young man. Belldandy flinched too, but looked   
sadly at the tormented soul before her. The others were a mixture of  
pity and sadness, as well a fear from the fire in Kipp's eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry," Kipp apologized sadly, "But some habits just   
never die. But then, everyone's had to deal with some crap in life,   
ne?"  
  
Unfortunately, nobody believed him. Luckily for Kipp through,   
Welsper the cat/demon entered the room. Sufficed to say, Kipp wasn't   
about let the cat get away, which provided him with a nice diversion.  
  
"DEMON!" Kipp cried, diving for the cat, only to be intercepted by  
a force shield.  
  
"Don't!" Everyone at the table cried in unison.  
  
"Why the bloody hell not? It's a bloody demon for Kami-sama's   
sake!" Kipp growled, trying to break through the shield.  
  
Welsper was not amused, which was reflected by all of the   
scratches Kipp received, something along the lines several dozen in a   
second.  
  
"Ite," Kipp sobbed dejectedly, before a gleam entered his eyes,   
"Here kitty, kitty, kitty... GOTCHA!"  
  
As Kipp was about to grab one of his many weapons hidden on his   
body, Belldandy snatched the cat away and started stroking its head.  
Keiichi then rounded on Kipp and growled in a low voice.  
  
"Listen, if you kill Welsper, then Belldandy will die too,"   
Keiichi growled slowly, emphasizing each word.  
  
Kipp glanced around as every, except Belldandy and Welsper, nodded   
their heads in agreement, before grinning sheepishly.  
  
"I wasn't going to kill it, I was only going to banish it back to   
Hell," Kipp explained, "After all, to kill a demon is to kill its divine   
double."  
  
Everyone's jaws dropped in surprise at Kipp's recital of the   
Doublet System, which seemed to confuse Kipp even more.  
  
"Ano... what are you staring at?" Kipp asked, becoming   
uncomfortable under all their stares.  
  
"How. Do. You. Know. About. The. DOUBLET SYSTEM?!?!" Urd exclaimed  
staring at the befuddled young man.  
  
"What do you mean how I know?" Kipp asked, not seeming to be able   
to guess the nature of the question.  
  
"How do you know about the Doublet System? Even Mystics barely   
know about that!" Skuld interjected, glaring at Kipp.  
  
"Well, Merlin could classify as a Mystic, but I really doubt that,   
after all, he's only been alive for a few centuries. But then, he does   
know a lot of gods, fay, elves, and dragons... not to mention a few   
demons, oh! And he's on a first name bases with one of the aspects of   
Death..." Kipp trailed of as Urd looked suspiciously at him.  
  
"This Merlin, he wouldn't happen to be the same Merlin that was an  
advisor to King Arthur would he?" Urd asked, her suspicions growing.  
  
"So he claims, but then no one ever knows if he's telling a tale   
or the truth," Kipp replied, shrugging his shoulder.  
  
"ARRGH!" Urd growled, "Why does that old goat always come back to   
haunt me?" Urd cried to the heavens.  
  
"Old goat? Yeah that would describe him, but then what right does   
a centuries old goddess have to call him... I'll shut up now," Kipp   
finished meekly as Urd glared at him.  
  
"I knew I shouldn't have let him have that wish!" Urd growled,   
slamming her fist into the table.  
  
"Wish? What wish?" Kipp asked, confused.  
  
"That befuddled old wizard wished for immortality when he was   
'younger'," Urd growled, "Of course, I had to agree with Belldandy that   
Merlin qualified for a wish, and then he goes and starts calling me an   
old hag!"  
  
The mortals sweat dropped as Skuld shrugged apologetically, and   
sighed at Urd's antics. Turning to face the three, Skuld began to   
explain.  
  
"You see, Urd's had this rivalry with Merlin since he was young,   
and he's always been able to beat her," Skuld mumbled, shaking her head,   
"Apparently, she hasn't gotten over the last one."  
  
"Ummm, right, I think I'll be going now... Bye!" With that Kipp   
made a mad dash for the door.  
  
Grabbing his coat and items, Kipp barely got his shoes on before   
the rest managed to get to their feet. Like a bolt of lightning, Kipp  
dashed to his bike, pulled out the helmet, started it up, and was gone.  
  
"I think we scared him," Keiichi mumbled quietly.  
  
***  
  
"Jeez, Merlin never said that divinities were _that_ eccentric...   
but then again he's never told me he had a rivalry with a goddess," Kipp  
mumbled to himself as he tried to sort out his own thoughts.  
  
Kipp always found driving relaxing, almost therapeutic, but then   
it rarely helped when he was fighting with problems this huge. Here he   
was, finally given the chance to be a normal kid for a change, and he   
just had to pick the one school in all of Japan that had three goddesses   
living nearby. Life tended to do things like this to him, but then he  
tended to do things like this to himself often enough that it almost   
seemed... normal for him.  
  
"Argh! I hate my life," Kipp muttered, speeding the machine up.  
  
Of course, it always seemed that Life wasn't the only being out to   
get him... or rather use him for amusement. At times it seemed that the  
kami and the oni took a perverse pleasure in hunting him down and   
causing complications in his life. Hell, he had meet Death enough times  
in his life to know that he wasn't the most normal guy around, but then   
why couldn't they pick on Rantora, he was certainly as strange, if not   
stranger then himself. Ah, the eccentric nature of many spirits was   
perplexing, if not annoying.  
  
"Grrr, I hate my life," Kipp muttered, speeding the machine up.  
  
Why couldn't they have chosen Honolulu? Or maybe even some   
remote location in the middle of the Europe, but nooo, they just had   
to come here. But then he could understand why Belldandy chose here,   
after all, Keiichi was here. He had heard of many tales were the mortal  
was just a plaything for the deity, but here, with Belldandy and   
Keiichi, he could tell that the two really loved each other, and truly   
belonged together. Their love was the kind that inspired poets to write   
great sonnets about it, armies to take up arms and protect it. It was   
the kind he had always dreamed of finding for himself, the kind found   
only in fairy tales, or so he thought.  
  
"Why? I hate my life," Kipp muttered, speeding up again.  
  
Now if Kipp wasn't so absorbed in his thoughts and cursing, he   
would have noticed that he was going at least 100km in a 60km zone.   
Sufficed to say the police were not happy.  
  
"Aww crap, just what I need," Kipp muttered, pulling up and   
dismounting.  
  
Pulling off his helmet, Kipp walked up to the police car's window   
and bent to face the police officer. Dressed in the typical officer's   
uniform, Kobayakawa Miyuki was quite surprised to see the youthful face   
behind the helmet.   
  
"Umm, aren't you a little young to be driving?" her partner   
Tsujimoto Natsumi interjected form beside her.  
  
Kipp groaned at the young part before puling his i.d out from his   
pocket, "Captain Kipp Long, JSSDF:SD, how may I help you officers?"  
  
"Captain? JSSDF? Let me see that!" Natsumi growled, snatching   
the i.d from Kipp's hands.  
  
"Oh boy," Kipp mumbled to himself, picturing the misunderstanding   
this was going to cause.  
  
"Well, this is obviously a fake i.d, since you are much to young   
to be driving, we're going to have to take you in and call your   
parents," Miyuki ordered, stepping out of the car, and hustling Kipp   
into the back seat.  
  
"Give me your keys," Natsumi ordered, putting her hand out.  
  
"I don't have any keys on me, except the ones for my apartment,"   
Kipp said, already knowing what was coming next.  
  
"Well then how were you able to start that bike... don't tell me   
you hot-wired it," Natsumi growled, mentally adding another black mark   
to Kipp's file.  
  
"This is just not my day," Kipp muttered under his breath, "Look,   
the bike doesn't need a key, it works on prints, which you'll see if you   
look at the bike."  
  
With that, Kipp twisted out of Miyuki's grasp and casually walked   
towards his bike, ignoring Natsumi completely. If he didn't he probably   
wouldn't have had to suffer getting his face rubbed into the gravel.  
  
"Chikuso," Kipp growled, slipping out of Natsumi's powerful grip   
and making a run for his bike.  
  
Slipping open the seat cover, Kipp removed his emergency pistol,   
from his backpack, and pointed it at the two police officers. Then   
spinning the weapon, Kipp tossed it to Miyuki and raised his hands in   
surrender.  
  
"You may not believe me, but if you call the JSSDF and ask for a   
General Meiou, he will confirm my identity," Kipp said, before walking   
past the two stunned women and taking a seat in the back of the police   
cruiser.  
  
"That was strange..." Natsumi muttered before checking on the   
bike, which was indeed still active, but emitting no exhaust.  
  
"Alright, let's go," Miyuki called, starting pulling back onto the   
road and heading towards HQ.  
  
"Let's see what this baby can do!" Natsumi grinned, and throttled   
the engine.  
  
***  
  
"Where did you get that thing!" Natsumi cried, staring at Kipp's   
bike.  
  
"I told you, but then you didn't believe me," Kipp mumbled,   
getting out of the police car.  
  
"It probably belongs to his Otou-san," Miyuki supplied.  
  
"Not bloody likely, Otou-san wouldn't ride a bike if his life   
depended on it," Kipp mumbled again, staring at the handcuffs he was   
wearing.  
  
"Would you quit mumbling," an irritated Natsumi growled.  
  
"But I'm going to be the laughing stalk of the entire JSSDF," Kipp   
mumbled again, still staring at the cuffs.  
  
"He really thinks he is JSSDF," Natsumi whispered to Natsumi.  
  
"I know," Miyuki whispered back, "I'd believe him too if he   
weren't so young."  
  
"Why?" Natsumi hissed, glancing at Kipp, who was still mumbling,   
"He looks kind of out of it to me."  
  
"Yeah, but it would explain the bike, the gun, and the moves,"   
Miyuki whispered, rubbing her arm.  
  
"Fine, we'll call the JSSDF," Natsumi growled, throwing her hands   
up in defeat.  
  
"And then Merlin'll probably ask why I..." Kipp trailed off when   
he noticed the two women staring at him, "What? Oh, the shirt, I   
borrowed it form a friend. Gotta remember to return it soon."  
  
"Okay, let's get those cuffs off, I don't think you're going to   
run." Miyuki offered, reaching for her keys.  
  
"Don't bother," Kipp replied, removing the handcuffs.  
  
"What-but-when-how?" Natsumi asked, staring at the handcuffs.  
  
"Like I keep saying, and like you keep ignoring, I'm with the   
JSSDF," Kipp mumbled.  
  
"Well, we're making the call now, and if they say no, I'm really   
going to hurt you kid," Natsumi threatened.  
  
"Go ahead, although I doubt you could really do more then I've   
already faced," Kipp laughed bitterly, before walking into the police   
station, and taking a seat by the front desk.  
  
"Umm, right... I'll be right back," Miyuki smiled and went to call   
the JSSDF, leaving Natsumi to watch Kipp.  
  
"Tough guy are we?" Natsumi mocked.  
  
"Dunno, depends on what you call a 'tough'guy," Kipp shrugged,   
glancing around the room.  
  
"You know damn well what I'm talking about," Natsumi growled   
slowly.  
  
"In that case, the only brawl I've ever been in was when the   
entire staff went out and got drunk. I was around the third last down,"   
Kipp replied casually.  
  
"*Humph*, yeah right," Natsumi retorted, when Miyuki walked back   
into the room.  
  
Walked was too elegant of a word, rather, she stumbled into the   
room, a look of shock evident on her face. Slowly, Miyuki turned to   
face Kipp and stared at him strangely, which caused Kipp to fell very   
uncomfortable.  
  
"Umm, could you stop that? Either lock me up, or let me go, but   
stop staring at me like that!" Kipp exclaimed, trying to escape her   
gaze.  
  
"Miyuki-chan... you okay?" Natsumi asked, glancing at her partner.  
  
"He-he-he-he was telling the truth!" Miyuki finally exclaimed,   
still staring at Kipp.  
  
"NANI?!" Natsumi exclaimed staring at the young man wearing a   
ridiculously yellow sweater.  
  
"I told you, I borrowed the bloody sweater!" Kipp exclaimed,   
reaching for his helmet.  
  
"Captain Long?" an officer asked as he walked up to Kipp.  
  
"Yeah?" Kipp asked, turning to face the officer.  
  
"Lieutenant Shuurin, Sir. I was asked by Captain Arashi to greet   
you and to welcome you to Nekomi," Shuurin saluted.  
  
"Stop that," Kipp said, embarrassed, "I'm off duty, besides, I   
hate titles. You can tell Captain Arashi that I appreciate the welcome,   
speaking of the Captain, where is he?"  
  
"Captain Shuurin is out right now, investigating a recent murder,"   
the lieutenant shrugged apologetically, "You know how it is."  
  
"Unfortunately yes," Kipp said, making a face, "Well tell the   
Captain that I said hi, and that I'll meet with him later."  
  
Meeting finished, Kipp took his helmet and walked out of the   
station, leaving two very baffled police officers behind. Natsumi and   
Miyuki both gawked at the young man before turning to back to each   
other.  
  
"How the hell did a kid that young get to be a Captain?!" Natsumi   
exclaimed to Miyuki, who just shrugged her shoulders in response.  
  
***  
  
*Bring* *Bring* *Bring*  
  
"Odd, Belldandy-oneesama should have answered the pho... oh right,   
she and Keiichi went out on a date," Skuld muttered to herself, making a   
face.  
  
Although the young goddess had come to accept Keiichi, she still   
held a little distaste with the mortal, after all, her Oneesama deserved   
better. But Skuld also knew that Belldandy deserved to be happy, and   
Belldandy was never happier then when she was with Keiichi. Skuld had   
matured enough to accept the fact that Belldandy wouldn't always be   
there for her. And sometimes, although she'd never admit it to Urd,   
Skuld envied the relationship Belldandy had with Keiichi.  
  
*Bring* *Bring* *Bring*  
  
Sighing softly, Skuld left her lab to answer the phone.  
  
"Moshi moshi?"  
  
"Skuld is that you?" a familiar voice asked from the other end.  
  
"Peorth? Is that you?" Skuld asked, already knowing the answer.  
  
"Oui, mon cheri. Is Belldandy there?" urgency filled Peorth's   
voice.  
  
"Why?" Skuld asked suspiciously, recalling the many times Peorth   
and Belldandy had gotten into 'fights' over Keiichi.  
  
"This isn't about Kei-chan, Skuld, this is serious!" Peorth cried   
angrily.  
  
"What's that noise? What's going on over there Peorth?" Skuld   
asked urgently.  
  
"Someone's trying to hack into the system, and on top of that,   
Yggdrasil's got a really nasty bug," Peorth growled.  
  
"Do you need us up there?" Skuld asked urgently, already   
envisioning returning to Asgard.  
  
"I wish you were, but you can't, Heimdall's got strict orders to   
let nobody in," Peorth replied angrily.  
  
"Then why did you call?" Skuld asked curiously.  
  
"I wanted one of you to take my wishes, I can't do both jobs right   
now," Peorth explained.  
  
"Well, Belldandy isn't here, and neither is Urd..." Skuld trailed   
off as the implications hit her.  
  
"Merci! I'll send the file to you now!" Peorth cried   
ecstatically.  
  
"Wait..." Skuld cried, but Peorth had already hung up, "Great,   
just great."  
  
Walking back to her labs, Skuld watched as the printer finished   
printing out the profile of the wish receiver. What was strange   
through was that the file was incomplete, missing both the receiver's   
profile and picture. All that was listed was an address.  
  
"How strange," Skuld mused to herself, before shrugging her   
shoulders and grabbing her hammer, "Oh well, it can't be that hard."  
  
And with those last words, the young goddess darted into the   
washroom and was gone.  
  
***  
  
Kipp turned the key and opened the door. Dropping his bag   
unceremoniously into the centre of the hallway, Kipp proceeded to remove   
his shoes and put away his coat. That finished, he warily trudged into   
the kitchen and opened a fridge. Glancing around the dwindling supply   
of instant ramen and such, Kipp pulled out a can of coffee and poured it   
into a mug.  
  
Placing the mug into the microwave and starting the machine, Kipp   
wandered into the living room and began channel surfing. As usual,   
nothing really good was on, except maybe a few animes he had found   
interesting. But with nothing to occupy his interest, Kipp walked back   
into the kitchen, took his coffee, walked back into the living room, and  
sank in for a long rest. And then the strange things started to happen.  
  
"What the hell?" Kipp exclaimed as his coffee started to bubble   
and froth.  
  
From the foam, a thin beam of light burst forth, followed by a   
head and body. Unfortunately, the head's trajectory sent it straight   
into Kipp's face, sending him flying into his chair.  
  
"Ite..." Skuld groaned, rubbing her head.  
  
"Why me?" Kipp muttered, still dazed, which probably explains what   
happened next.  
  
Groping around blindly, Kipp happened to lay his hands on Skuld,   
and not in a very good way either. Skuld face then went through several   
different shades of red before settling with "I'm so incredibly pissed  
that I'm going to kill someone" red. Intent on dealing bodily harm on   
the disgusting pervert that touched her, Skuld grabbed her hammer and   
brought it down, with all her might, on Kipp's head. This all took five   
seconds.  
  
"HENTAI!!!!!!" Skuld screamed, leaping off Kipp and backing away   
from him.  
  
Kipp wasn't very lucky this time. The force from the hammer   
managed to knock him right into lala land.  
  
"Kipp-san!" Skuld exclaimed, finally realizing whom she had just   
knocked into dreamland.  
  
Rushing to the Kipp's prone form, Skuld tried to awaken him, but   
to no avail. Giving up, Skuld began hunting for a phone, one that could   
withstand the amount of shouting she was going to throw at Peorth.  
  
***  
  
"Aw hell, not again," Kipp muttered, waking up in his bed, but now   
with bandages around his head.  
  
Straining his ears, Kipp could make out the sound of someone   
female yelling, but no one yelling back. Groaning, Kipp fell back into   
his bed and tried to forget about everything, but the yelling only got   
louder. Throwing his hands up in surrender, Kipp got out of bed, and   
was quite pleased to find himself fully clothed. Removing the sweater,   
Kipp reached into his closet and pulled out a loose fitting black shirt.  
  
Now clothed properly, Kipp reached further into his closet and   
opened a hidden panel along the bottom. This lead to a large safe.   
Placing his palm on a black panel to the safe's right, unlocked said   
safe. Within the large box were two 9mm pistols, three long knives, two   
clips of extra ammo, and two grenades.  
  
"Not quite as good as _my_ guns, but they'll do," he murmured   
quietly, taking the three knives, two guns and the two extra clips of   
ammo.   
  
After a second thought, Kipp took the two grenades and slowly   
walked to his door. Opening the door a crack, Kipp peered out, but saw   
nothing, the person was probably on the phone. Opening the door slowly,   
Kipp waved the yellow sweater outside, but received no response, which   
was a good thing, he didn't want to ruin Keiichi's shirt.  
  
Stepping into the hallway prove that nobody was there, or in the   
guest room, but the lights in the kitchen and living room were on, which   
was understandable considering he hadn't turned them on when he was   
still conscious. What did prove strange was the figure with long raven   
hair yelling into a phone. Said figure also had a ridiculously small  
mallet strapped to her back.  
  
"PEORTH!!!! Next time you send me a file, make sure it's   
complete!" Skuld yelled into the receiver before slamming the phone back   
into its cradle.   
  
"Well, what have we here?" Kipp asked quietly, leaning against the   
wall.  
  
"Eeep!" Skuld squeaked, turning around, embarrassment written all   
over her face, "Gomen ne!"  
  
"For the smashing my face into the next universe thing? Don't   
worry about it," Kipp waved the apology aside, "What I want to know is   
what you were doing jumping out of my coffee, and what you're doing in   
my apartment."  
  
"Well you see, that's a funny thing you should bring up," Skuld   
began. laughing nervously.  
  
"Humour me," Kipp replied blandly.  
  
"Kipp Long, you have been selected by both the Goddess Relief   
Office, and the Earth Otasuke Centre to receive a wish. The deeds you   
have done have granted you the right to have anything you desire," Skuld   
recited the lines Peorth had fed her, "But I warn you, you have only   
one wish. Think carefully before you ask."  
  
"NA-NANI!? A wish? You're kidding me, right?" Kipp cried, until   
he saw the look of utter seriousness on Skuld's face, "What the hell do   
I have to wish for?"  
  
"Well you can wish for everything, nothing is impossible when   
you're dealing with the Ultimate Force!" Skuld declared.  
  
"Actually a lot is impossible with the Ultimate Force," Kipp   
replied glumly.  
  
"What are you talking about? The Ultimate Force is that which   
runs the universe. Its powers are infinity at worst!" Skuld retorted.  
  
"And that is the exact reason why the Ultimate Force can't grant   
everything!" Kipp shot back at a baffled Skuld, "Because it runs the   
universe, it must maintain the balance between good and evil. No matter   
what we wish, evil and good will always exist, and they will always hate   
each other. The only way to achieve perfect harmony is through complete   
and total annihilation of everything."  
  
"Oh, that little thing," Skuld muttered, "Just a bug in the   
system, but yeah you're right. We can't totally wipe out the Fallen,   
because of the Balance, but we can lessen the damage they do."  
  
"So I really don't have much to wish for. I don't have any   
delusions of being a god, nor do I want those responsibilities (I'm   
looking in your general direction Christopher Angel, you too Brett Handy   
^_^). I seriously doubt I'd make a very good god either. I don't want   
to be very powerful, I just want to be normal, to be able to forge my   
own destiny on my own." Kipp explained, grinning slightly at Skuld, "So   
Skuld-sama, you can take your wish and give it to someone who deserves   
it more."  
  
"Na-nani?" she stammered in a small voice, "You don't want   
anything?"  
  
"Nope, whatever I get in life will because I achieved it myself.   
I'm sure that I could probably wish for world peace, or an end to the   
hunger problem, but then us humans would never learn anything if the   
problems just suddenly disappeared. Of course, a lot of that insight  
belongs to Merlin, but I've learned to trust his judgment, considering   
he's almost always right." Kipp explained.  
  
Skuld opened her mouth to responded, before the doorbell   
interrupted her. Shrugging his shoulder in confusion, Kipp went to   
answer the door.  
  
"Strange, did you order something while I was out?" Kipp asked,   
looking through the peephole.  
  
"No, why?" Skuld asked walking up behind him.  
  
"Cause there's a delivery guy outside," Kipp replied, reaching for   
his guns.  
  
"Put those down, he probably got the wrong apartment," Skuld   
snapped opening the door.  
  
"Ano, does a Kipp Long live here?" the delivery guy asked,   
"Because I have a package here for him."  
  
"Yeah, what is it?" Kipp asked, glancing suspiciously at the man.  
  
"Hmm, let me see," the man glanced quickly at his sheets before   
grinning at Kipp, "Your death."  
  
And then the man's skin burst apart, revealing a 12th Class demon,  
who rushed into the apartment, shoving Kipp and Skuld backward. From   
behind the first demon came five more of the grotesque creatures, each   
just itching for a fight. Luckily, Kipp and Skuld were glad to oblige   
them.  
  
"Eat this!" Kipp shouted, slamming a round into the leader's eye.  
  
"There's not enough space here! We've got to leave!" Skuld   
called, smashing Mjollnir into another demon.  
  
"Follow me," Kipp growled, smashing the butt of his gun into   
another creature.  
  
Firing off several more rounds, Kipp began fighting his way to the   
door, but to no avail. And to add insult to injury, several pairs of   
arms began to break through the ground. Breaking through the floor,   
three more demons joined the fray. Snarling curses at everything in   
general, Kipp and Skuld were forced into the only other hallway in the   
entire apartment, the one connecting to the bedrooms.  
  
"That's it! I'm pissed!" Kipp growled, grabbing on of his   
grenades and chucking it down the hallway, "Eat fire suckers!"  
  
As the grenade left his hands, Kipp conjured a large wall of ice   
in front of him, effectively blocking off the demons' chances of   
reaching them anytime soon. Unfortunately, Kipp's magical capabilities   
were strained to their limit as he was forced to contend with the might   
of a fire elemental grenade.  
  
"Please hold! I'm begging you Undine! Hold!" Kipp prayed,   
willing the wall of ice to stay.  
  
But even Kipp's best efforts weren't enough as the geyser of flame   
continued to burn through the ice at an alarming rate. And then the   
wall suddenly hardened, expanding and fighting back the fire. Eyes wide   
in amazement, Kipp turned and found Skuld, arms outstretched, adding her   
will to the barrier.  
  
"About bloody time," Kipp growled, then softened the comment with   
a grin, "Buy still, arigatou."  
  
"Humph!" Skuld sniffed indignantly, then grinned at Kipp, "Why do   
I always end up saving your butt?"  
  
Kipp shrugged in response, before willing the wall of ice away.   
But their celebration was cut short as the guest room floor exploded   
upwards. Soon that room was filled with demons, which promptly charged   
the door Kipp had just slammed shut.  
  
"Aw fuck!! Not again!" Kipp cried, holding the guest room door   
shut.  
  
"Oh no! They're breaking through the wall!" Skuld cried, smashing   
a hand back through the wall.  
  
Of course, bad luck always leads to bad luck, as the main bedrooms   
floor exploded upward and more demons rose out of the wreckage.   
Muttering curses at everything in general, Kipp slammed that door shut   
and jammed the lock with one of his knives.   
  
"What the hell is going on!" Skuld cried, slamming her mallet into   
anything stupid enough to try and break through the wall.  
  
"How the hell am I supposed to know?" Kipp cried back, trying to   
hold both doors shut.  
  
And through all this commotion, neither noticed that creature that  
had entered through the holes in the living room. The creature stood   
over 2m in height. Its skin was leathery, yet appeared almost human.   
Even if a human didn't notice the claws and tail, they would have been   
able tell that this creature was no human just by glancing into its   
eyes. Each eye was like an orb of darkness, pure black, and pure   
malevolence. Grinning in triumph, the creature rushed forth and slammed   
into Kipp.  
  
"Hello boy, remember me?" it rumbled pleasantly, hands wrapped   
around Kipp's neck.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" Kipp growled back, trying to pry the hands   
off his neck.  
  
"You don't remember... ah but then it was that angel of yours that   
defeated me, wasn't it?" it smiled evilly, rows of sharp teeth   
displayed.  
  
"Angel... YOU!" realization hit Kipp like a stack of bricks.  
  
"Good, now you'll know who killed you," it grinned, throwing Kipp   
into the living room wall, before turning to its minions, "The girl's   
all yours, enjoy."  
  
Skuld was instantly swamped by the hoards rushing out of the two   
rooms. Smirking, the demon walked casually up to Kipp and began to   
brutally beat the boy.  
  
"Ah, but I can't kill you yet can I? After all, you don't even   
know my name," the creature remarked, picking Kipp up by the neck.  
  
"Fuck you," Kipp mumbled, his hands grasping the knives hidden in  
his pants.  
  
"No thank you. But I will tell you my name, so that you may curse  
it for the fate you will soon face. I am called, Daecar," Daecar stated  
arrogantly, "Now you then, how would you like to diAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH,"  
  
Daecar screamed as Kipp plunged both of his knives into the foul  
being's eyes, blinding it temporarily. Dropping out of the creatures   
arms, Kipp rushed forward to finish the job, but was smacked away by   
Daecar's tail. A crack was heard as the tail connected with Kipp's   
ribs, probably from the three broken ribs he now had.  
  
Of course, the impact against the far wall didn't do Kipp much   
good, but then I hear breaking limbs is never a good thing (damn! What   
have I been doing all this time then?!). Another crack was heard as   
Kipp's right forearm broke upon impact.  
  
I will win  
  
"ARGH!" Kipp screamed, clutching his broken arm.  
  
"I'LL KILL YOU!!!" Daecar roared in fury, ripping both knives out   
of it's sockets, and hurling in Kipp's general direction.   
  
"Thanks, I was wondering where these went," Kipp spat at the   
creature, grabbing one of the knives with his good hand.  
  
Darting forward, Kipp leapt and dove down, knife ready to plunge   
into the demon's head, unfortunately, he didn't count on the really   
large eye that suddenly opened on its chest.  
  
"Peek-a-boo, I see YOU!" the last was punctured with a swift kick   
to Kipp's midsection.  
  
Today just wasn't Kipp's day. Coupled with the momentum in which   
Kipp was moving, and the fact that a demon is naturally stronger then   
any mortal, Kipp was sent hurtling into the balcony window, or rather   
through said window.   
  
I won't lose  
  
Now covered in shallow gashes, Kipp slowly rose, then kneeled   
over, and started to retch out blood. Grimacing at the pain, Kipp tried   
to stand, but his legs failed him. Groaning in agony, the captain   
grabbed a large shard of glass and tried to stand again. He was more   
successful this time.  
  
"Hehehehe, revenge is oh so sweet," Daecar cackled, his large eye   
staring into Kipp's very soul, "Pity the angel isn't here to die with   
you."  
  
"Pity indeed, oh well, I'll just have to kill you myself," Kipp   
retorted grimly, lunging at the creature.  
  
Unfortunately, the demon was prepared. Moving with inhuman speed,   
Daecar grabbed Kipp's hand, smashed the glass away, then wrapped the   
other hand around his neck.  
  
"I want to hear you scream," Daecar whispered, wrapping the other   
hand around the back of boy's neck.  
  
"Like I said, fuck you," Kipp spat into the huge eyeball.  
  
"Oh well, if you won't scream, then I'll just make you scream for   
me," Daecar grinned again, before slamming Kipp's face into the wall.  
  
"Fuck *WHAM* you, *WHAM* you *WHAM* son *WHAM* of *WHAM* a *WHAM*   
BITCH *WAM*," Kipp yelled defiantly, even as his nose was broken, his   
right eye was blackened, and his mouth seriously messed up.  
  
I will not give up  
  
"Actually my mother was a bitch, but then I am her son," Daecar   
spoke conversationally, continuing to slam Kipp's face into the wall.  
  
Having put a routine into his swing, Daecar turned to see is Skuld   
had been ravaged by his demons yet. What he didn't expect to find was   
three demons hanging through holes in the walls, and another three dead   
on the ground. The rest seemed to have backed of for a bit, glaring at   
the young goddess, who swung her mallet quite efficiently at anything   
that tried to come within a 2-meter radius of her.  
  
"Oh well, she'll tire eventually," Daecar muttered, before turning   
his attention back to Kipp, and receive a huge jagged spike of rock in   
the eye in appreciation.  
  
"Forget someone?" Kipp mumbled, the blood loss starting to mount.  
  
"DIEEEEEEEEE" Daecar hollered, tossing Kipp into the kitchen.  
  
I WILL NOT RUN AWAY  
  
Kipp would have replied if he could still move most of his body,   
which he couldn't. This was a bad thing as Daecar began lobbing Dark   
Bolts in all directions, not caring if it killed his intended target, or  
his own minions.  
  
I WILL NOT SURRENDER  
  
"Spirit Shield," Kipp mumbled, trying to protect himself from the   
creature's magic.  
  
But Kipp's magical capabilities weren't strong enough to with   
stand the demon' rage. This lead to him being hit by a Dark Bolt, and   
flying into the kitchen sink, snapping the faucet, and sending water   
spraying all over the room.  
  
"I'LL KILL YOU ALL!!!" Daecar roared to the heavens, before he was   
promptly silenced by one of his minions flying into him.   
  
"SHUT UP!" Skuld yelled, stalking into the main room, and promptly   
blanched at all the blood on the walls and floor.  
  
Scanning the room, Skuld quickly found Kipp's crumpled and   
unconscious form, his blood mixing with the water. Rushing over to the   
unconscious form, Skuld checked his vitals, and heaved a sigh in relief   
on finding a pulse. Sadly, the pulse was growing weaker by the minute.  
  
"Hold on Kipp-san, I'll get us out of here," Skuld promised,   
grabbing Kipp's hand, and leaping into the growing pool of liquid.  
  
And just before the portal disappeared, a lone grenade flew out   
into the living room, the pin gone. It rolled across the floor, and   
stopped at Daecar's foot. Felling a strange object on his foot,   
Daecar's newly regenerated eyes looked down, and the demon groaned.  
  
"Ah fuck,"  
  
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*  
  
***  
  
"ONEE-SAMA!!!" Skuld cried, rushing out of the washroom, Kipp   
levitating in the air behind her.  
  
"Skuld-chan! Where have you been?" Belldandy called from their   
room, opening the door, and almost fainted at Kipp's battered form.  
  
"I'll explain later, but after we take care of him!" Skuld   
pleaded, "Please, it's my fault he's like that."  
  
"Okay Skuld-chan, you go find Urd, and tell her to bring some of   
her healing potions, I'll see what I can do," with that, Belldandy began   
checking Kipp's condition.  
  
2 Hours Later  
  
"That should do it," Urd mumbled, pouring the last potion into   
Kipp's mouth.  
  
"Now then Skuld, tell us what happened," Keiichi ordered, turning   
to the young goddess.  
  
"Your sure he'll be okay?" Skuld asked Urd, looking at Kipp's   
mostly restored features (mostly as in his teeth were still growing   
back).  
  
"Of course I'm sure!" Urd retorted, sniffing angrily.  
  
Heaving a sigh of relief, Skuld began to relate what had happened   
since Kipp had left then temple. She told them about Peorth's request,   
about Kipp's refusal of a wish, of the demon attack, and of Daecar's   
brutal attack.  
  
"So or little soldier boy here's on a demon's hit list," Urd   
muttered.  
  
"It's not the first time. Gahh, what the hell'd you pour down my   
throat?" Kipp mumbled, trying to rise from the spare futon, and failing   
miserably.  
  
"I see you're back among the world of the living," Urd replied,   
grinning seductively, "Care to celebrate?"  
  
"Oneesan! Quite teasing him!" Belldandy scolded, then turned to   
Kipp, "You stay in bed this time, your injuries aren't fully healed."  
  
"I didn't intend on getting up," Kipp mumbled, patting himself   
down, "Yippee, I'm in one piece again... and my teeth are back!"  
  
"Just be glad we're permitted to do that," Urd replied.  
  
"All hail the mighty Norns, may they not smite us horribly," Kipp   
mock bowed, then groaned as his limbs protested.  
  
"Serves you right," Skuld sniffed, before leaving the room.  
  
"Don't worry about her, she was just worried about you," Belldandy   
reassured, glancing at Skuld's hasty departure.  
  
"Ano... you wouldn't mind if I stay here for a few days would   
you?" Kipp asked Keiichi, shuddering at the thought of his trashed   
apartment.  
  
"Well..." Keiichi began.  
  
"I'll pay," Kipp suggested hopefully.  
  
"Deal!" Keiichi grinned.  
  
"Yours I believe," Skuld called from the hallway, before tossing a   
cell phone into Kipp's hands, a ringing cell phone.  
  
"Moshi moshi?" Kipp answered said phone, shrugging at the puzzled   
looks he was getting.  
  
"What the hell happened at your apartment?!" Hikari's voice rang   
through the receiver.  
  
"You found out already?" Kipp exclaimed, looking very confused.  
  
"Well gee, how many apartment rooms blow up every night in Japan?"  
Hikari retorted sarcastically.  
  
"Touché," Kipp muttered, "Well I'm fine in case you're wondering."  
  
"Good, then you can tell me just where you are," Hikari ordered.  
  
"Ah, could you put Merlin on?" Kipp asked, trying to escape his   
friend's interrogation.  
  
"Fine, pick the tiger," Hikari muttered, before handing the phone   
over to Merlin.  
  
"Kipp, what happened?" Merlin asked.  
  
"You remember the day I joined?" Kipp asked, not really expecting   
an answer, "Well the demons that were banished that day want revenge."  
  
"So Daecar's after you..." Merlin suddenly grinned, "Good."  
  
"Good!? What the hell do you mean by that?" Kipp screamed into   
the phone.  
  
"As in good, I can finally reassemble the Espers," Merlin started   
to cackle evilly.  
  
"Okaaay, someone's had too much coffee today," Kipp muttered.  
  
"Seriously, I think that the Espers would be perfect for this   
mission" Merlin replied.  
  
"Whoa, it's a mission now?" Kipp asked.  
  
"Of course it is, don't be stupid. Now then, where are you?"   
Merlin asked.  
  
"Safe, and no I can't tell you because it isn't my secret to   
tell," Kipp replied, cutting of any retort Merlin may have had for him.  
  
"Fine, then the Espers will met you at your school, later this   
week," ordered Merlin.  
  
"What about my bike?" Kipp asked.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll have Rantora and Hiroshi pick it up later   
today. They'll deliver it to you when they find you, and you had better   
be alive when they do," Merlin growled.  
  
"No prob..." Kipp grinned at Urd, "Oh, and Urd says hi."  
  
"Urd says... nani?!" Merlin exclaimed, but was cut off.  
  
"Well then, looks like I'll be staying for a while," Kipp grinned,  
before falling back on to the futon, "Have I ever told you how much I   
hate my life?"  
  
***  
  
Author's Blurb: Well, I've decided to forgo the explanations this time.   
Why? Because my beta readers thought it was too much of a spoiler, so   
if you have any questions, email me and I'll be happy to explain. For   
my Fanfiction.net readers, this may not have seemed like a long time,   
but that's only because I was almost finished the second chapter when I   
first posted. Like before, all C&C will be appreciated, hell I'm   
begging for it. And Fanfiction.net readers, although my ego loves   
getting stroked, I would prefer that your reviews tell me what I'm doing   
good and what I'm doing badly. I'm not fragile, I'll take whatever   
negative stuff you have to throw at me, just as long as it has some sort   
of justification, in other words, no flames. But if you just want to   
say you liked it, go ahead, my ego can never get enough stroking these   
days!  
  
If you want to apply for a position as a beta/proof/prereader, email   
me, and give me a good reason why I should give the position to you.   
Anyhoo, episode three is a lot more exciting, and it gets even more   
confusing, but stay tuned! Later! And I mean a lot later!.  
  
One last thing, if anyone out there is any good at fanart for anime, I   
would love to see your interpretations of my characters, and a fourteen-  
year-old Skuld.  
  
Oh, one last thing (I know I said that earlier, but I'm the author so   
live with it!), His Lordship Chaos is the author of the wonderfully   
demented SI: Curse of the Fanboys! I happened to be reading the damn   
thing while I was writing, which caused me to come as close to being   
demented as them, hence the really weird flirting scene with Urd.  
  
If you want to read Chaos' stuff, you can find it here at:   
Carnage.fanfic.org, but I should warn you, it is very, very, very,   
very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very  
warped... but delightfully hilarious. 


	3. Apart we are weak

E-mail: kipp_loong@yahoo.ca  
Homepage: www.geocities.com/kipp_loong/  
  
= Thought  
()=Author's opinion  
  
Disclaimers: Oh! My Goddess (Ah! My Goddess, Aa! Megami-sama, and   
whatever else they call it) is owned by Kosuke Fujishima and Kodansha.   
English translations are owned by Dark Horse Comics. The work that I   
am doing is in no way used for profit, nor am I taking credit for the   
characters. This is purely for entertainment.  
  
Kipp Long, Rantora Kenshin, Hiroshi Hamasaki, Makoto Kagirinai,   
Hikaru Saitoku and Hikari Amatsu _are_ my own creations and are not to   
be reproduced with out my permission.  
  
Death is a creation of humanity's fears, and isn't my own   
creation, but her personality and profile are, so they are not to be   
used with out my permission.  
  
The Japanese Specialized Self Defence Force: Supernatural   
Division does not actually exist and is a figment of this author's   
imagination (probably from watching one too many episodes of the X-  
Files), therefore making it my own creation.  
  
So without further ado, I present to you...  
  
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[  
  
|nfinity Corps is   
  
Proud to Present  
  
An Oh! My Goddess! Fanficiton  
  
Deus Patronus:  
  
Episode 2  
  
By:  
  
Jeffrey Chow  
  
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[  
  
Merlin sat at his desk in his Japan base, gazing at the five   
figures in front of him. Although obscured in the shadows, the five   
each gave off a sense of confidence and power, but on top of that, each   
seemed concerned for something.  
  
"Do you understand the mission perimeters?" Merlin asked sternly,  
"Daecar is a serious threat, which is why I'm authorizing this, but if   
any of you screw up, heads will roll."  
  
"Yes Sir!" Five voices shouted.  
  
"Very well Espers, go, and make sure that disciple of mine doesn't   
get into too much trouble," Merlin muttered the last.  
  
"Impossible Sir!" the five replied, then ran out of the office,   
each laughing loudly.  
  
"Damn smart asses," Merlin muttered, then sighed to himself. "It   
takes a demon a minimum of four months to fully corrupt a good soldier,   
and that damn disciple of mine did it in four weeks," he continued, then   
grinned to himself, "Must have been the charming personality he picked   
up from me!"  
  
***  
  
Kipp stood in the middle of the temple's yard, wearing a pair of   
black sweat pants, and a white t-shirt. Around him were five wooden   
posts, each pounded a foot into the ground. The young man stared   
straight ahead, staring at none of the post, and yet, knowing where   
everything was in the yard.  
  
"What is he doing?" Belldandy asked, fascinated by Kipp's   
behaviour.  
  
"I think he's training," Keiichi replied, looking up from his   
homework.  
  
The two wear seated on the porch of the Temple, while doing their   
homework. Although it was autumn, the weather was quite warm, so   
Keiichi had decided to work outside a bit. Belldandy on the other hand   
had just finished the housework and was just relaxing beside her   
beloved.  
  
With a burst of movement, Kipp began his training. Combining   
one's magic with one's physical abilities usually enhances a person's   
limits. But the benefits were only as good as the person was. Kipp   
knew this, and although he usually fought with the combined two, he also   
knew that if he increased his physical limits, the magic would do more   
for him, and he needed every advantage he could get against Daecar.   
Even with the combined might of the Espers, Kipp knew that the up coming   
fight would be very taxing and would most likely result in a lot of   
damage, maybe even the death of one of his friends.   
  
I could never forgive myself if I let that happen Kipp thought   
to himself,   
  
In under a minute, the five post were broken, one even splintered,   
but Kipp wasn't done. Kipp immediately launched into several katas,   
running through them and then switching styles, moving faster and faster   
as he went. When he had gone through every one of his unarmed styles,   
Kipp pulled out his mana blade, courtesy of Skuld, and began going   
through those katas.  
  
"I think he might be pushing it a little too much," Belldandy   
said, concern evident in her voice.  
  
I will not give up. To do so will mean dishonour and failure,   
both to myself, and to those that I wish to protect Kipp grimaced,   
remembering the last stand of Serenity.  
  
The sword katas were soon finished, leaving Kipp panting and   
sweating. The soldier glanced around the yard, looking for any large   
boulders he could pit himself against, but sadly, there were none.   
Sighing to himself, and adding a boulder to his mental 'to get' list,   
Kipp walked over to Keiichi and Belldandy.  
  
"So, Keiichi-sempai, how much would a month of rent cost?" Kipp   
asked, sitting down beside the two.  
  
"I don't know, you have to factor in food, and all the other stuff   
you use," Keiichi explained, before Kipp stopped him.  
  
"Could you two wait a second, I need to get something," Kipp said,   
rising and entering the temple.  
  
"I wonder what it is?" Keiichi wondered aloud.  
  
The couple sat in mutual silence, waiting for their friend to   
return, which didn't take very long. As he returned, Keiichi and   
Belldandy both noticed that he was currently on his, but who he was   
talking to they had no clue.  
  
"Uh-huh... wait a sec, I have how much? Define a lot..." Kipp   
whistled appreciatively, then paused as he stared at the cell phone. "A   
lot is several million in American, and I have 'a hell of a lot'?" The   
young man paused again as he digested the information, "I'm richer then   
most movie stars? Okay, then I have a question. HOW THE HELL DID I GET   
THAT MUCH MONEY?!?!?!?!"  
  
Keiichi and Belldandy, having finally made sense of the   
conversation stared at each other in shock.   
  
went through   
both of their minds.  
  
"You're kidding me... you're not? Oh boy, tell those bastards at   
HQ that they'd better start running... okay, bye," Kipp sighed, putting   
his cell phone away. Turning to the two started observers beside him,   
Kipp grinned sickly, "Did you know that JSSDF:SD agents get paid several   
million for every demon they kill? Did you also know that they pay us   
obscene amounts of money so that we'll be to do whatever we want in case   
we were to die the next day?" When the two shook their heads in a   
negative response, Kipp continue cheerfully, "Neither did I! And to   
think, I had trouble getting money to get here."  
  
"So, you have how much?" Keiichi asked weakly.  
  
"Give or take five hundred million in American dollars." Kipp   
replied conversationally, taking a seat on the porch.  
  
"Five hundred million?" Keiichi mumbled weakly.  
  
"Yeah," Kipp replied, staring forward.  
  
"Shouldn't you be happy?" Belldandy asked, glancing at Kipp's   
bleak look.  
  
"Oh, I'm happy about being rich, I'm just depressed at why it's   
there," Kipp replied grimly, "So we can experience some measure of   
happiness before we die."  
  
"Oh, that... well don't think of it as that type of money. You   
work for the JSSDF, hunting down creatures that could wipe out entire   
armies, which therefore makes it a very hard job. Added on top of   
that, you have to be the best of the best to do this job. From what I   
know of your culture, don't the better workers, and the ones who do the   
harder jobs, get rewarded with the highest pay for their work?"   
Belldandy asked, in full-fledged mothering mode.  
  
"Thanks Belldandy-sempai, I needed that," Kipp grinned, the   
seriousness leaving his eyes. "Now then, how much do I owe you Keiichi  
-sempai?"  
  
***  
  
In the garage of Kipp's ruined apartment building, two men stood,   
both staring at the sleek black bike before them. Behind them was a   
sleek red sports car. One stood 185cm in height, with a lean muscular   
build. He wore a pair of blue jeans, a plain loose black sweater, and a   
pair of white sneakers. Over his brown eyes he wore a pair of shades.   
His short brown hair was spike upward. He looked around 20 years old.  
  
The other was shorter, standing at 170cm, but as well built as the   
other. He wore a pair of beige khakis, a white t-shirt, and a pair of   
black military style boots. His black bangs hang down on either side   
of his face, accenting his deep brown eyes, while the rest was tied in a   
loose ponytail. Around his right wrist rested a silver watch. He   
appeared to be around 18 years of age.  
  
"No way am I touching that thing! Who knows what sort of safeties   
Tentetsu and the rest of those psychos put in this thing," the first   
muttered disgustedly.  
  
"Well, I'm sure not touching it, the last time I even looked at   
one of their inventions, I got zapped by it," the other retorted.  
  
"Look Rantora, I don't know how to ride it, you do," the first   
tried using logic.  
  
"Well, it we agreed to bring my Hummer, we wouldn't be in this   
mess Hiroshi," Rantora snorted.  
  
"Always with the bloody hummer, get it into your thick skull, even   
the bloody hummer isn't big enough for this thing to fit," Hiroshi   
growled back.  
  
"Boys, must everything be a pissing contest to you two?" a female   
voice asked from the shadows.  
  
"Oh, yippee, Makoto-chan's here, just what I need," Rantora   
muttered to himself.  
  
"Hey! Don't go dissing our pissing contests!" Hiroshi growled at   
Makoto.  
  
"Geez, you two are hopeless," Makoto sighed, stepping into the   
garage's lights.  
  
Makoto stood around 160cm in height, looking around 18 years old.   
She wore a tight white tank top, a pair of black pants, and a pair of   
black sneakers. She had left her long light brown hair along, the   
strands reaching her waist. Her red eyes sparkled with barely hidden   
amusement of her friends.  
  
"Hey, have you ever been subjugated to Tentetsu's test?" Rantora   
growled. When Makoto shook her head in the negative, Rantora shuddered   
and muttered enviously, "Lucky you."  
  
"Oh come on, he can't be that bad," Makoto prodded.  
  
"Oh, how we envy you. Being female has rendered you immune to   
Tentetsu's awful wrath," Hiroshi spoke, taking a dramatic pose, "Oh, but   
for good reason, for if your swe-oof."  
  
Hiroshi doubled over from the elbow blow Makoto gave him.  
  
"And he wonders why I won't go out with him," she muttered to   
herself, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Removing her elbow, Makoto   
walked up to the bike and pressed her thumb against the print scanner.  
  
"No! Don't do that!" Rantora cried, snatching Makoto's hand away   
form the bike. "Who knows what kind of defensive measures Kipp   
requested."  
  
Makoto sighed and rolled her eyes. "You do realize we're his   
friends, and he most likely gave us access. Besides, Tentetsu built   
this for us, so our prints are probably in its data base," Makoto   
explained exasperated.  
  
As if to prove her point, the bike roared to life, and a calm   
computerized voice spoke, "Hello agent Kagirinai, you have been   
authorized to use this vehicle by agent Long, have a good day."  
  
"See, told you so," Makoto said smugly at the two males.  
  
"Oh, and tell agent Kenshin and agent Hamasaki that if they even   
scratch the paint on me, agent Long will have their hides," the   
computerized voice spoke again.  
  
"What did I just say?" Rantora groaned, while Hiroshi tried to woo   
the unimpressed Makoto.  
  
"Your eyes are like sparkling stars..." Hiroshi trailed off when   
he noticed Makoto ignoring him. "Cruel," he whimpered to himself.  
  
"Baka," Makoto snorted.  
  
"Is it just me, or do we not fit the roles of mega cool monster   
slayers... besides me," Rantora smirked at the glare Hiroshi directed at   
him.  
  
"Stop with the damn pissing contest already and let's get going,"   
Makoto growled, getting into Hiroshi's sports car.  
  
"There is a god!" Hiroshi cried to the heavens, rushing to the   
driver's seat. "Rantora-kun, you're driving the bike."  
  
"I detest you," Rantora growled, grabbing a helmet from the car's   
back seat, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do kiddies."  
  
Hiroshi just gave Rantora the finger in response.  
  
***  
  
Meanwhile, the two remaining members of the Espers were in   
Rantora's hummer, driving around Nekomi. Hikari sat in the passenger   
seat, her eyes partially glowing from the use of her ESP. She had on   
the typical girl's high school uniform, complete with the short skirt,   
and a red ribbon adorning her blonde hair. For shoes, she wore a pair   
of brown, soft leather, knee boots.  
  
In the drivers seat, a young man, about 20 years old sat. He was around   
178cm with a wiry build. He wore a pair of black jeans and a white   
t-shirt under a dark blue blazer. His black hair was only slightly   
longer the then crew cut fashion, sticking upward. His hazel brown eyes   
seemed to absorb everything he saw.   
  
"Hmm, Hikaru, did your intelligence reports give us any leads on   
finding him?" Hikari asked the man beside her, giving up on her ESP.  
  
"Feh, that fool hung up before I could trace the call," Hikaru   
snorted, grinning despite his words. "Must he always be so secretive?"  
  
"Look who's talking," Hikari giggled, looking at the university   
they were driving past. "Isn't that NIT? Maybe we should see if he's   
there," she suggested to Hikaru.  
  
"Yeah right, that kid wouldn't stay an extra minute in school if   
his life depended on it," Hikaru muttered, glancing at the school.   
"Remember how set he was when Merlin suggested a tutor?"  
  
"Yeah, but he did want to go to university," Hikari pointed out.  
  
"True, but it's probably cause he wanted to meet people around his   
own age," Hikaru countered.  
  
"Just check the place out," Hikari snapped.  
  
"Okay, geez, someone needs some Midol," Hikaru muttered under his   
breath. Unfortunately for him, Hikari's telepathy picked up the words.   
Sufficed to say, Hikaru was in for a world of pain.  
  
***  
  
"Umm, Kipp, you might want to slow down on those turns," Keiichi   
said to his friend as the two prepared to take the new bikes for a trial   
run.  
  
"I'm going to make that bastard eat those words," Kipp seethed,   
shoving his helmet on.  
  
"Kipp, have you even been listening to me?" Keiichi asked,   
exasperated at Kipp's stubborn streak. "Beating Aoshima isn't that   
important."  
  
"Yes it is! I'm sick and tired of people like him. Damn people,   
acting like kings cause they have more money then us," Kipp growled.   
"If I have to humiliate him to prove my point, then so be it."  
  
"I think that's what you've been planning all along," Keiichi   
muttered, pitying Aoshima.  
  
"Quiet you," Kipp grinned evilly, revving the engine. "Sounds   
pretty good, let's see how she handles."  
  
With that, the two were off. Zipping down the course, the two   
pushed their respective machines to the limit, searching for any flaws   
in the designs. Kipp seemed to be beating Keiichi, but only because he   
was much more reckless, barely slowing enough to avoid walls in turns.   
The two rounded the last turn when disaster struck. The front wheel on  
Kipp's bike began to shred for no apparent reason, while Keiichi's bike   
swerved around the road, the steering toast.  
  
***  
  
"I just felt some magic!" Hikari exclaimed, pointing towards NIT.  
  
"I'm way ahead of you," Hikaru said, turning the hummer around.  
  
"If that's you Kipp, I'm going to kill you for making us worry,"   
Hikari muttered, throwing her senses out, trying to locate her friend.  
  
***  
  
"Guys! Magic detected at five o'clock!" Rantora yelled into the   
helmet mike.  
  
The group was speeding down a road, just behind NIT when all three   
of them felt the unmistakable twinge of mana being used. Having sworn   
the oath to protect humanity and the gods, the two vehicles immediately   
changed direction to reach NIT as soon as possible.  
  
"If that's our fearless leader, I'm going to wring his neck,"   
Makoto growled.  
  
"Um, Rantora, can we switch places?" Hiroshi whispered into the   
com unit, nervously glancing at Makoto's furious visage.  
  
"That time of month again, ne?" Rantora grinned evilly.  
  
"Pull over a let me drive! I'm going to hurt that baka!" Makoto   
growled at Hiroshi, brandishing her trusty shotgun for emphasis.  
  
"You're so dead my friend. It was nice knowing you," Hiroshi   
saluted Rantora while he obediently followed Makoto's commands.  
  
"Let's see you catch me first!" Rantora tainted, gunning the   
engine.  
  
***  
  
"What the Fuck?!" Kipp cried, fighting to maintain control of the   
vehicle. Then his mind finally registered the telltale signs of magic,   
"Daecar! I'll kill you!"  
  
Meanwhile, as Kipp fought to regain control of his cycle, Keiichi   
fought to maintain some semblance of steering. But even his best   
efforts were in vain as the bike relentlessly raced towards the wall.   
In desperation, Keiichi flung himself off of his vehicle, moments before   
it crashed into a wall.  
  
"What happened?" Keiichi asked weakly, watching as Kipp rode past,   
the tires gone.  
  
"Chikuso! I can't hold out much longer!" Kipp growled, fighting   
the vehicle's suicidal tendencies.  
  
But, like Keiichi, the bike refused to cooperate, forcing Kipp to   
bail as Keiichi had before him. Kipp managed to rise to his feet just   
as the bike flipped and crashed into the wall.  
  
"I'll kill you Daecar," Kipp growled, clenching his fists in   
anger.  
  
"Keiichi-sempai! Kipp-kun! Are you alright?" Sora asked as she   
and the rest of the MCC rushed out to meet the two drivers. "What   
happened out there?"  
  
"The steering just locked up, and the brakes didn't seem to work   
either," Keiichi said, removing his battered helmet.  
  
"My brakes weren't working either, and the tires just flew apart,"   
Kipp stated, staring at the remains of two weeks of work.  
  
"Dat's strange, me and Ootaki looked over dam earlier," Tamiya   
muttered, scratching his head in confusion.  
  
"Then what happened?" Keiichi asked aloud.  
  
Kipp walked up to the bike and mentioned for Keiichi to follow.   
When he was sure no one could hear, Kipp whispered into Keiichi's ear   
his suspicions.  
  
"I felt magic when we were riding," Kipp whispered in a low voice.  
  
"Magic? So it could have been Mara," Keiichi whispered back,   
wishing that the goddesses hadn't been recalled to Heaven.  
  
"It also could have been Daecar," Kipp mused, then shook his head.   
"It probably was Daecar, from what you've told me, this doesn't seem   
like Mara's style."  
  
"You're right, it was too small. Hell, the bikes didn't even blow   
up," Keiichi murmured in agreement, then frowned, "But then why did he   
target me as well?"  
  
"Maybe he didn't know which of us was which," Kipp suggested.  
  
"Right, and how was he supposed to not know," Keiichi asked   
sarcastically.  
  
"What do you mean?" Kipp asked, confusion written all over his   
face.  
  
"Your name's on the back of your suit," Keiichi groaned, pointing   
to the back of the leather riding suit.  
  
"Oh, yeah, that," Kipp grinned sheepishly. "Well, maybe he just   
wants to kill everyone near me."  
  
"I just wish the goddesses hadn't been called back to Heaven so   
suddenly," Keiichi muttered. "And just before this too. Talk about   
suspicious."  
  
"I know what you mean," Kipp muttered, whispering a prayer to any   
divine creature that would listen. "I just hope you're wrong. Because   
if you're right, the implications are too great."  
  
"Well, let's hope you're right," Keiichi glanced at the waiting   
MCC members, then raised his voice. "Let's see if we can salvage   
anything."  
  
When everyone failed to move, Kipp joined Keiichi trying to   
motivate them... well more like attack their pride.  
  
"Look, we've only got a week until the race, which might I remind   
you Aoshima bet in. So, if you want to prove that he's wrong, and WE   
are the best, get your asses in high gear, and let's get a move on it!"  
Kipp exclaimed, throwing every low blow he could think of in.  
  
Sure enough, the thought of Aoshima showing them up was enough to   
make everyone scramble. Within minutes, every bit of the totalled   
vehicles was packed away, and the club was on its way back to the   
clubhouse/garage, just missing the five members of the Espers.  
  
***  
  
Hikari and Hikaru were the first to arrive, the two stepping out   
of the hummer, weapons in hand. Hikaru held a sniper rifle of sorts,   
where as Hikari held an oversized pistol. While Hikari scanned the   
area, Hikaru awaited the arrival of the remaining Espers. He didn't   
have to wait long.  
  
Rantora was the first to arrive, followed closely by an enraged   
Makoto driving Hiroshi's sports car. Of course, Makoto didn't run   
Rantora down, but she came awfully close.  
  
"Told you it was that time of month," Rantora muttered to Hiroshi.   
Makoto promptly smacked him. "But then again, I don't know if   
demon hybrids get periods," Rantora smirked at Makoto.  
  
Let's just say Rantora won't be feeling well for the next little   
while, and leave it at that.  
  
"We salute you, oh brave, valiant, stupid soldier," Hiroshi   
saluted the twitching remains of Rantora.  
  
"I hurt," Rantora groaned.  
  
"Morons," Hikaru muttered darkly, shaking his head at the two.  
  
"He deserved it," Makoto sniffed, turning her back to Rantora.  
  
"I wonder if she has a tail," Hiroshi muttered, watching Makoto's   
backside.  
  
"Why did I get pounded when we have a perfectly good pervert right   
here?" Rantora grumbled, jerking his thumb at Hiroshi.  
  
"I'm not a pervert! I'm just admiring one of the greatest   
beauties in the universe! How could I not gawk at the very vision of   
beauty?" Hiroshi retorted.  
  
"That would have sounded convincing... if you weren't drooling,"   
Hikaru sweat dropped.  
  
"Men!" Makoto sniffed indignantly.  
  
"No, they're boys," Hikari corrected. "They don't have the balls   
to be men, unlike a certain someone," the two girls giggled at that one.  
  
"Hey! What does our fearless leader have that I don't?" Hiroshi   
growled. "Besides a motorcycle. Besides, he's even more clueless than   
us!"  
  
"Baka," Hikaru growled.  
  
"Where to start," Makoto sneered at Hiroshi.  
  
"Guys, before the two of you start another one of your lover's   
quarrels, I'd like to point out we're missing a leader," Hikari pointed   
out, as Rantora and Hikaru forced the two apart.  
  
"She/He started it!" the two chorused.  
  
"Children! Quiet!" Hikari screamed, glaring at the two cowering   
forms. "Get in that car and search the city!"  
  
The two immediately leapt to comply.  
  
"Hikaru, hunt around, learn all you can about the local gossip and   
see if you can find Kipp with it," Hikari rounded on the hapless shadow   
warrior.  
  
"What did I do?" Hikaru asked Rantora, before darting away from   
the steamed Hikari.  
  
"I guess I'll just take the bike..." Rantora began, before   
realizing that Makoto had taken it.  
  
"You, Rantora, are taking me around town," Hikari glared at the   
terrified expression Rantora wore. "We're going to see if I can detect   
Kipp anywhere."  
  
"Why me?"  
  
***  
  
As the Espers left the racetrack, two shadowed figures looked on   
from above. One-stepped into the light, revealing the figure of Mara,   
the other stayed hidden.  
  
"So, what's so important about the boy, besides that fact that he   
can use magic?" Mara asked curiously.  
  
"It is not your concern," the shadow replied bluntly.  
  
"We'll I just like knowing why someone's butting into my   
territory," Mara growled back, flipping her hair over her shoulder.  
  
"Fine, but he is Mine," the figure growled, stepping into the   
light. "He is a thorn in my master's side, and he must be eliminated,"   
Daecar growled, eyes flashing.  
  
"And you're master is..." Mara pried.  
  
"None of your concern," Daecar snapped. "All you need to do is   
stay out of this, it concerns you not."  
  
"Very well, the boy is yours, but only the boy. If you even harm   
one hair on Keiichi, the goddesses, Megumi, or any of their heads, you   
answer to me," Mara threatened, her eyes burning with flames.  
  
"I didn't know you cared," Daecar sneered, showing rows of sharp   
teeth.  
  
"I don't, but they are MY targets. I will deal with them, no one   
else," Mara snapped. "Is that clear?"  
  
"Very," Daecar gulped, shying away from Mara's gaze.  
  
"It's nice to see that some demons still have respect for their   
betters," Mara smiled seductively. "I might reward you later."  
  
And in a flash of sulphuric smoke, she was gone.  
  
"Stupid whore, when my master finishes with his plan, you and your   
blessed Demoness Grief Office will be my personal play things," Daecar   
spat, disappearing back into the shadows.  
  
"So we meet again Daecar," Merlin muttered amidst the shadows of   
the building opposite the demon's. "This time, humanity won't need an   
angel to defeat you."  
  
***  
  
"I want to change the world!" Kipp sang to himself, playing with   
his new Discman, and assorted CDs. "Ah, it's good to have some money   
for a change."  
  
"Could you stop goofing off, and help us?" Megumi asked   
sarcastically.  
  
Having only a week to build a cycle from scratch was straining the   
MCC member's patience and nerves. Having a member busy playing with a   
Discman while the rest work wasn't doing much good.  
  
"Oh, gomen, I forgot," Kipp grinned sheepishly, grabbing some   
tools. "I'll start working now."  
  
"Hmm, you're actually earning your keep now?" a voice asked from   
the door.  
  
"I know that voice!" Kipp exclaimed, turning around to face the   
voice's owner.  
  
"Of course you should, I've only worked with you for two years,"   
Hikaru muttered sarcastically.  
  
"So, had fun finding me?" Kipp asked cheerfully.  
  
"Oh, of course, we all love our jobs as much as Hikari," Hikaru   
retorted. "You try having fun finding a needle in a haystack."  
  
"Kipp, less talk, more work," Megumi playfully slapped Kipp's   
head, while turning to address Hikaru. "Who are you?"   
  
"Saitoku Hikaru, at your service. The moron you have working for   
you has the pleasure of calling me a friend," Hikaru gesture absently at   
Kipp.  
  
"Great way to address your superior," Kipp growled, before Megumi   
smacked him again.  
  
"You work," she said sternly, pointing at the bike frame.   
Rounding at the smug face of Hikaru, Megumi grinned evilly, "Now then,   
how fast are you?"  
  
"He can out run a horse," Kipp muttered darkly. "I should know,   
I've seen him doing it enough. Running away that is."  
  
`"Hey! I only did that once, and it was under orders too... your   
orders I recall!" Hikaru yelled, trying to strangle Kipp.  
  
"Cause I knew you were a chicken!" Kipp yelled back, wrapping his   
own arms around Hikaru's neck.  
  
And before Megumi could interfere, the two were slapping each   
other's backs, laughing at some sort of joke. Megumi stared at one   
then another in shock, before grabbing a conveniently hose and spraying   
the two down.  
  
"What was that for?!" Kipp spluttered, wiping his hair out of his   
face.  
  
"Kipp, I can see doing that, but you barely even know me lady!"   
Hikaru grumbled, removing his soaked blazer.  
  
"Hmph! I seem to recall telling you to start working," Megumi   
grinned at Kipp. "And you I recall asking how fast you were."  
  
"Man, if I knew you were a slave driver, I'd have stuck with the   
JSUumph!" Kipp began, before Hikaru slapped a hand over his mouth.  
  
"The... the "Japanese Self-Defence Classes," right Kipp," Hikaru   
smiled nervously.  
  
"No, he meant the "Japanese Specialized Self-Defence Force:   
Supernatural Division," Megumi said, looking very confused.  
  
"She. Knows?" Hikaru slowly turned to Kipp. "You are so dead."  
  
"She lives with spirits. Of course she knows!" Kipp snapped,   
patting himself one the back for the clever half-truth.  
  
"Spirits! Oh! I wanna see!" Hikaru begged with child like glee.   
"I've always wanted to talk to one... when they weren't haunting   
someone, or something like that."  
  
"Kuso, I forgot about you're damn obsession with ghosts," Kipp   
muttered.  
  
"Ano, I don't live with spirits. My brother lives with   
goddesses," Megumi pointed out, shooting Kipp a confuse look.  
  
"Goddesses?" the idea bounced around Hikaru's head for a bit,   
before he brightened again. "That lucky dog!"  
  
"Not that type of goddess!" Kipp snapped, glaring at the drool   
running from Hikaru's mouth. "Real goddesses, divine goddesses..."   
  
"And damn hot goddesses!" Hikaru quipped, remembering Merlin's   
description of Urd.  
  
*SMACK* *SMACK*  
  
"Hentais," Megumi muttered.  
  
"And damn proud of it!" Hikaru quipped, again, with mock pride.  
  
"Start running now, _if_ you want to live." Megumi growled.  
  
Hikaru was out of there in a flash.  
  
***  
  
"Geez, you didn't have to hit me that hard," Hikaru growled,   
glaring at Kipp.  
  
"Yes I did, you made me screw the gas injectors up," Kipp shot   
back. "Which ended up with me getting hell from the rest of the club."  
  
"So sue me. Tentetsu-san warned you, but noo, you just had to try   
your hand at being an engineer," Hikaru smirked.  
  
The two were sitting in a restaurant, coincidentally owned by the   
JSSDF (coincidental my ass!), waiting for the arrival of the remaining   
Espers. Kipp, having been kicked off the engineering section of the   
club, was quietly sulking over a cup of tea, trying desperately to   
ignore Hikaru's smug expression.  
  
"I told them not to let you anywhere near the tools, but did they   
listen? Obviously not," Hikaru grinned, enjoying Kipp's frustration.  
  
"And I told them not to let you within a hundred meters of me, or   
else you'd be missing a head. But did they listen? Of course not!"   
Kipp growled across the table at his companion.  
  
"But I'm right across from you, and I do believe I still have my   
head," Hikaru grinned mockingly.  
  
Kipp snarled in response.  
  
At that moment, Hikari and Rantora showed up, shaking their heads   
at Kipp's and Hikaru's childish behaviour. The two ordered drinks and   
sat down, before Hikari addressed Kipp.  
  
"For some strange reason, I thought you were smarter... and much   
more of a man," Hikari said lightly, taking a sip from her cola.  
  
Rantora and Hikaru both winced in sympathy at the low blow, while   
Kipp spluttered indignantly.  
  
"I thought you were my friend!" Kipp wailed.  
  
"Get over yourself," Hikari muttered.  
  
"But you're me best friend! And you're insulting me!" Kipp   
wailed.  
  
"Gods, sometimes I wish you were always serious," Hikari groaned.  
  
"Hmm, that's number... five hundred?" Rantora remarked to Hikaru.  
  
"Nope, number five hundred and twenty," Hikaru replied, consulting   
a notebook.  
  
"So, that means Hikari's complained about his pathetic nature   
five hundred and twenty times this year," Rantora whistled loudly.  
  
"Hey! I am not pathetic!" Kipp growled.  
  
"Ano? I thought you were asking about the times this month,"   
Hikaru remarked with all seriousness.  
  
"I hate you two," Kipp groaned, face flat on the table.  
  
"We love you two!" the two chorused.  
  
"Dammit! I'm your leader, so I demand some respect!" Kipp growled   
at the two.  
  
"Good luck," Hiroshi grinned, strolling into the restaurant...   
hand in hand with Makoto.  
  
"Hmm, so they've finally gotten over their lover's quarrel,"   
Hikaru mumbled, consulting his notebook. "Damn, I lost twenty bucks!"  
  
"Ha! I might lend you some of the fifty I just won... if you ask   
nicely," Rantora mocked.  
  
"You were saying how _I_ wasn't serious?" Kipp asked Hikari   
lightly.  
  
"Am I the only sane person here?" Hikari asked herself.  
  
"Well, if I were to wave the latest issue of Trigun in front of   
your face, you wouldn't be sane any longer," Makoto remarked off  
-handedly.  
  
"Vash-sama..." Hikari gushed, drool running down her chin.  
  
"Ano... is this a meeting, or are we still on leave?" Kipp asked   
glancing at the silliness around him.  
  
"Right," Hikari muttered, regaining her composure. "We're here to   
discuses business, and to eliminate a threat, as ordered by   
Merlin-sama."  
  
"Understood. What is our current status, and how much support do   
we have?" Kipp asked, going into full Captain mode.  
  
"We have our abilities and weapons, coupled with a warrant that   
gives us complete control of the local police force," Hikari answered,   
pulling out a laptop. "As to JSSDF support, we have none. I don't   
need to point out that we're ready to go at your command."  
  
"And the status of our enemy?" Kipp asked, turning to Hikaru.  
  
"At the current moment, 8th Class demon Daecar is hiding in a   
warehouse by the industrial district. He has under his command over   
twenty 12th class demons, as well as five 10th class demons," Hikaru   
answered, placing several documents on to the table.  
  
"Actually, Daecar has a 9th Class demon observer as well," Makoto   
filled in. "Intel just contacted us a while ago."  
  
"Hmm, what are the risks to civilian injuries?" Kipp asked,   
rubbing his chin thoughtfully.  
  
"Depends. If we attack during the morning, I estimate that the   
civilian casualties can reach over a thousand, and that isn't counting   
any hostages they might have. If we attack during dusk, the risks are   
even higher, with rush hour and all," Hiroshi supplied. "Our best bet   
is to attack past midnight, to insure less civilian activity in the   
area."  
  
"Agreed. Finally, does Daecar have any human contacts?" Kipp   
asked.  
  
"Two," Hikaru replied with disgust, throwing two more documents   
on to the table. "Both successful businessmen... both also linked to   
the yakuza."  
  
"Okay, here's what we'll do then," Kipp began pointing at a map.  
  
***  
  
"You'd think that being able to drive most known vehicles would   
make him a better mechanic," Keiichi sweat dropped, staring at the mess   
that once was a fuel injector... and what faintly resembled a striped   
down motorcycle.  
  
"It could have been worse," Megumi shrugged, shuddering at the   
mere thought.  
  
"How?" Keiichi deadpanned.  
  
"The gas tank could have been full," Megumi grinned.  
  
"You're right... just stop giving the universe ideas," Keiichi   
ordered solemnly, before changing the subject. "I wonder when the   
goddesses will get back."  
  
"Your guess is as good as mine," Megumi replied, fiddling with the   
bike. "What I wonder is who that guy with Kipp was... I think they   
worked together."  
  
"You mean the one who was fighting with Kipp over where the fuel   
injector went?" Keiichi asked, picking up bits of scrap.  
  
"Yeah, him. I wonder what he was doing here... you don't think it   
has anything to do with Daecar, do you?" Megumi asked uneasily,   
recalling the incident last week.  
  
"My bet is that he's one of the Espers sent here to eliminate   
Daecar," Keiichi replied grimly.  
  
"But they're all so young! Kipp's only 16, and I think   
Hikaru-san's only 19," Megumi exclaimed. "How can our government send   
people so young to their deaths?"  
  
"Because, they are the only ones with the power to fight the   
demons that invade our home," a voice came from the doorway.  
  
"Who are you?" Keiichi asked, reaching for a large wrench.  
  
"No need for that," the figure motioned towards the wrench, which   
instantly melted. "I am the one who trained the Espers, Kipp's sensei,   
mentor, and friend. I am Merlin, founder of the Supernatural Divisions   
across the globe," Merlin introduced himself, stepping out of the   
shadows. "And you would be Keiichi Morisato, beloved of the goddess   
Belldandy."  
  
"How-how do you know that?" Keiichi asked, blushing at the comment   
about Belldandy.  
  
"It's my job to know," Merlin replied ominously, examining the   
blackened remains of the bike. "Kipp did this didn't he. I recognize   
his touch."  
  
"Does he do this often?" Megumi asked, not expecting the answer   
that came.  
  
"More times then I, or anyone, care to remember. His mechanical   
aptitude is on par with, to take a reference from one of Hikari's   
mangas, Akane Tendo's cooking," Merlin deadpanned.  
  
Both Morisato siblings sweat dropped, recalling one of Skuld's   
many mangas. The infamous Akane Tendo, and her toxic sludge called   
cooking.  
  
"I told you not to let him near the stuff," Megumi whispered to   
Keiichi.  
  
"How was I supposed to know?" Keiichi muttered.  
  
"Could you perhaps tell me where Belldandy is? I have some   
matters to discuss with her," Merlin broke in.  
  
"What business?" Megumi asked suspiciously.  
  
"Generally, former heroes. Specifically, a prince named   
Hyperion." Merlin replied, frowning slightly.  
  
"You mean Kipp don't you?" Keiichi asked, perplexed.  
  
"No, I mean Hyperion. I need to know how strong Hyperion was,   
both mentally, physically, and spiritually," the arch mage replied.   
"Now, where is Belldandy?"  
  
"Heaven," Keiichi answered, smiling sadly. "She was just called   
back today."  
  
"How terribly odd," Merlin mused to himself. "And inconvenient."  
  
"We'll be sure to tell her you were looking for her," Megumi   
reassured.  
  
"What? Ah, yes, arigatou," Merlin smiled slightly. "Just don't   
tell Urd I'm in the area."  
  
"Why not?" Megumi asked, curious at Merlin's uncomfortable   
expression.  
  
"My liver isn't what it used to be."  
  
***  
  
Kipp dropped face first into the futon he used the temple, to   
tired to even remove his clothes. Groaning loudly, the young man rolled   
on to his back to stare at the ceiling.  
  
"They didn't have to hit me that hard," Kipp muttered to himself,   
rubbing his sore arms. "I mean, it was only practice, but noooo, those   
guys just had to take some sadistic pleasure in 'training' me! I don't   
recall being used as a punching bag training."  
  
"Yeah, but you're supposed to be the 'best,' or did you forget   
that little detail," Makoto grinned from the door.  
  
"Yeah, I am the best... or I'd like to think, but not even I can   
beat three guys who've trained with me for two years," Kipp replied.   
"I'm only a mere mortal human, remember?"  
  
"Don't go there," Makoto growled, red eyes flashing.  
  
"That was a complement," Kipp replied, hands making warding   
gestures.  
  
"Just don't go there," Makoto warned, red eyes watering. "I'm   
sorry, I'm just sensitive about that."  
  
"Hey, Makoto, you know me and the Espers don't care. You're one   
of us, our friend, and we don't care what you are. Hey, at least you   
don't have my problems," Kipp grinned as Makoto cheered slightly.   
"I mean you don't have to deal with demons that want to kill you for no   
reason, three sadistic guys, a life 'blessed' to live in interesting   
times, memories that belong to a past incarnation, and girls flocking   
all over you!"  
  
"You do realize you've never had an actual girlfriend," Makoto   
smiled, giving her friend an appreciative hug.  
  
"Well, now that I've cheered you up, why don't you spill on what   
you and Hiroshi have been up to," Kipp said as his eyes took on a   
conspirative gleam.  
  
"Sorry, that's reserved for girl talk, and you aren't a girl,"   
Makoto replied primly.  
  
"Rats," Kipp muttered, falling back on to the futon. "And here I   
thought all women had something down there!"  
  
"Kipp..." Makoto growled.  
  
"That's my name," Kipp grinned to himself.  
  
"SHUT UP!" Makoto roared, grabbing the young man's pillow and   
beating him with it.  
  
"Stop that! I'm not a masochist!" Kipp giggled as Makoto's face   
rapidly went through several shades of red.  
  
"You're so dead," Makoto growled.  
  
"I love you too," Kipp smiled softly.  
  
"Wh-wh-what do you mean by that?" Makoto stuttered, blushing   
crimson.  
  
"Like a sister," Kipp cackled evilly.  
  
"DIE!!!" the enraged lady cried, flinging herself bodily   
on to the laughing young man.  
  
"Get a room!" Megumi called playfully, strolling into the room.  
  
"Isn't this a room?" Kipp asked innocently.  
  
"Ignore him, he's slow," Makoto whispered to Megumi. "I'm   
Kagirinai Makoto, one of the Espers."  
  
"Morisato Megumi," Megumi smiled at Makoto, before turning to   
address Kipp. "Why didn't you tell me you were having friends over, I   
would have baked a cake!"  
  
"I'm sorry mother, I'll remember next time," Kipp bowed his head   
in mock shame.  
  
"You two sure are familiar with each other, what with only having   
known each other for a week," Makoto commented, before grinning nastily.  
"You sure move fast Kipp!"  
  
"It's not like that!" Kipp spluttered, blushing beet red.  
  
"He's too young!" Megumi protested, also blushing bright red.  
  
"Geez, you guys are blushing redder then my eyes!" Makoto giggled,   
doubling over in laughter.  
  
"Redder then my eyes?" Megumi whispered, peering into Makoto's   
eyes. "Kami-sama! You're a demon!" Megumi screamed, back peddling out   
of the room.  
  
"Megumi! WAIT!" Kipp cried, grabbing Megumi's arm. "What are you   
doing!?"  
  
"She's demon!" Megumi hissed back, staring uneasily at Makoto.   
1"What if she works for Mara?"  
  
"She isn't a full demon," Kipp murmured quietly. "I can't tell   
you how she came to be this way, but I can assure you that she would   
never help a demon like Mara."  
  
"Are you sure?" Megumi whispered, guilt grasping hold of her.  
  
"Yes I'm sure. I'm sure she isn't evil, and I'm sure she has   
feelings too." Kipp admonished.  
  
"Kagirinai-san, gomen ne," Megumi bowed to the saddened girl.   
"I shouldn't have been so harsh, and there is no excuse for the way I   
treated you."  
  
"It's alright, I'm used to it now," Makoto gave her a smile.   
"And it's not as if I wanted this power."  
  
"What do yomph!" Megumi's question was cut off by Kipp's hand over   
her mouth.  
  
"What did I just say about having feelings?" Kipp hissed into her   
ear.  
  
"Keep your hands to yourself Kipp," Makoto growled, smacking his   
hands away. "Don't mind him, he's just a little over protective of his   
friends."  
  
"So I've noticed," Megumi muttered, giving Kipp a pointed look.  
  
"Sue me! When I asked about that, she nearly bit my head off,"   
Kipp complained, and was ignored by all.  
  
"My otou-san was a half-demon, half-human hybrid, while my   
okaa-san was human. Otou-san once told me that his okaa-san was   
attacked by a demon. The creature beat her, and then, when it was bored   
of hurting its victim, forced itself upon her," Makoto's expression   
darkened for a brief moment, before brightened, slightly at the next   
thought. "When she learned that she was pregnant, she wanted to kill   
herself, so that the darkness within her would never harm the world.   
But she couldn't kill her own child, even if its blood was tainted.   
Hence, Otou-san was born, but he appeared perfectly human... is you don't   
count the red slitted eyes and the really thick finger nails."  
  
"So that's why you have red eyes..." Megumi trailed off at the   
implications.  
  
"Let me finish! Otou-san was raised as any normal human, but many   
of his peers were scared of him, and so he became secluded to the world,   
refusing to become violent with the ones that tormented him, no matter   
how much his demon nature wanted. Then, one day he met an old man. The   
old man understood what was happening to my otou-san, and asked him to   
help the old man to fight the creatures that had wronged Otou-san's   
mother," Makoto smiled slightly at the similar offer she had received   
early in her life. "Otou-san readily agreed, and his powers have been   
used to help the JSSDF:SDs ever since. And now that he has reached the   
ripe old age of 300, his daughter, myself, has decided to take up the   
family business."  
  
"300!?" Megumi exclaimed, her mind boggling at the thought.  
  
"Most demons are immortal, since they are a physical manifestation   
of a dark soul. But the creature that attacked Makoto's ancestor wasn't   
powerful enough to achieve true immortality, gaining only the ability to   
live for a very long time," Kipp explained, his knowledge of the beings   
even greater then the one-quarter demoness. "So one hundred years to us   
is about twenty physical years to them."  
  
"So how old are you really Kagirinai-san?" Megumi inquired, trying   
to figure out Makoto's physical age.  
  
"I'm really 18, I didn't inherit the long life span, nor the claws   
of my father. Oh, and you can call me Makoto, Morisato-san" Makoto   
smiled.  
  
"Call me Megumi then," Megumi smiled back.  
  
"No claws my ass," Kipp muttered from the futon.  
  
"Maybe you're right, care to find out?" Makoto asked, brandishing   
her inch long nails.  
  
"Nah, I'll just ask Hiroshi, he takes enough punishment from you   
to know," Kipp smirked.  
  
"Megumi-san, do you mind if I kill him?" Makoto asked.  
  
"He was your friend first, you have first dibs," Megumi replied,   
smiling at Makoto.  
  
"I have a feeling I'm going to regret being born," Kipp groaned,   
picking himself up.  
  
"Definitely," Makoto smiled cutely. "So, when should I start?"  
  
"Here's an idea! After you catch me!" Kipp volunteered, and then   
darted out of the room, not waiting for a reply.  
  
"When lives are at stake, he's more serious then Merlin, but when   
the stakes aren't high, he's a freaking goof ball," Makoto lamented.   
"I just wish he'd stay somewhere in between."  
  
"I just think he's trying to make up for lost time," Megumi   
suggested, recalling the tale Kipp had told them only a week ago.  
  
"There is that, but at times I think he over compensates," Makoto   
admitted with a sigh.  
  
"True, so very true," Megumi agreed, nodding solemnly, then as   
one, the two girls started to giggle.  
  
Outside the room, Kipp winced, shaking his head ruefully.  
  
I act the way I do because if I was always serious, I'd go insane   
from the things I've seen. Because none of you grew up with the   
hardships I've had to endure, you've learned to balance your   
personality. I, on the other hand, have had to make do with what I had,   
making up different personas to compensate for the inexperience of   
living. Coupled with the fact that I have two personalities in my head   
fighting for control. Kipp thought to himself.   
  
Sighing sadly, Kipp wandered down the hallway, searching for   
something to do, and finding Keiichi trying to repair the cycle Kipp had   
screwed up. Flushing in embarrassment, Kipp went to apologize.  
  
"Keiichi-sempai, gomen for braking the cycle, I didn't mean to,"   
Kipp murmured, scratching the back of his head. "It just sort of   
happened."  
  
"Don't worry Kipp-kun, I'm sure I can fix it," Keiichi waved off   
the apology.  
  
"I'll help... no wait, that's a bad idea isn't it," Kipp laughed.  
  
"Yes that would be a bad idea," Keiichi agreed, laughing himself.  
  
"Seriously, do you need anything? A drink, something to eat,   
maybe Belldandy?" Kipp asked, grinning slightly.  
  
"Actually, I'd have to say yes to all three," Keiichi replied,   
returning to the mess once known as a motorcycle.  
  
"Well, I'll see what I can do about the first two... as to the   
third, you know any shrines dedicated to the Norns I could pray at?"   
Kipp asked, getting up.  
  
"Unfortunately, no, other wise I'd be there now, rather then   
working on this... how did you do this anyways?" Keiichi asked, staring   
at the thing.  
  
"Well, I'll go get you a sandwich and some tea, that sound okay?   
Great," Kipp replied, jogging out of the room, and dodging the question   
in a very clumsy manner.  
  
"Must be like me and swimming," Keiichi mused, before returning   
to his work.  
  
After giving Keiichi the sandwich and tea, Kipp proceeded back to   
his room, and found that it was indeed empty. Shaking his head   
ruefully, Kipp proceeded to flop on to his futon, before grabbing a   
textbook and studying.  
  
It wasn't long before the goddesses returned, having finished   
their business up in Asgard. The three trudged into the sitting room...   
well Urd and Skuld trudged, Belldandy was elegant as ever. Throwing his   
textbook down, Kipp wandered into the sitting room, both to welcome back   
the goddesses, and to introduce both Makoto, and the Esper's plans.   
What he found wasn't very pleasant.  
  
"Be gone demon, trouble this place no more!" Urd shouted, shooting   
a thunderbolt at Makoto.  
  
"Hey!" Makoto cried indignantly, pulling two handgrips from her   
pockets. The two grips instantly ignited into twin mana weapons.   
From the grips, a single bar of white mana extended both forward and   
back. The bar stretched from a few centimetres in front of her clenched   
fist, to several centimetres behind her elbow, making them two very   
deadly mana tonfa. "You wanna rumble?" she growled, twirling her   
weapons at the three goddess.  
  
"Why are you here?" Belldandy asked calmly, seemingly ignoring the   
hostility in the room.  
  
"I'm here because of a certain lad named Kipp Long," Makoto   
growled, red eyes fixed on Urd.  
  
"I won't let your kind hurt him again!" Skuld cried, rushing   
forward intent on dealing Makoto massive bodily harm.  
  
Skuld's hammer fell, just as Makoto's tonfa flashed forward. Both   
never reached there targets, but rather the person they were arguing   
over. Skuld's hammer slammed into Kipp's face, while Makoto's tonfa was   
blocked by Kipp's mana blade, which, having been fixed and enhanced by   
Skuld, was now a deep gold in colour.  
  
"Mufh ov ouy doup eat," Kipp's muffled voice called from behind   
the hammer.  
  
"Kipp!" both Skuld and Makoto cried, then glared at each other.   
"This is all your fault!" the two yelled at each other.  
  
"I said; BOTH OF YOU STOP IT!!" Kipp cried, removing his face from   
Skuld's hammer.  
  
"You two should be ashamed, threatening a guest like that,"   
Belldandy admonished both Urd and Skuld.  
  
"But she's a demon!" Skuld cried, pointing at Makoto.  
  
"Something, I'm not exactly proud of!" Makoto growled back.  
  
"Yeah right," Urd snorted.  
  
"She's telling the truth," Kipp growled, standing in front of   
Makoto protectively. "And if you want to hurt my friend, you'll have to   
go through me."  
  
"How can you protect her if you swore to fight the darkness in   
this world?" Urd asked, lightning crackling around her clenched fist.  
  
"How can one who has fought at my side time and time again,   
against the darkness, be one who serves the darkness?" Kipp asked,   
gesturing at Makoto. "She's saved my life when she could have as easily   
left me to die."  
  
"But she has the taint!" Skuld cried, brandishing her hammer   
menacingly.  
  
"Only because my obaa-san was raped by one with the taint!" Makoto   
growled, red eyes flashing in anger. "Only because she couldn't bare to   
kill her own child, even if it was tainted. Only because Otou-san   
wanted to live, to fight the things his otou-san stood for."  
  
"A likely story, but how do we know it's true?" Urd asked, then   
silenced Kipp before he could say anything. "How do we know you didn't   
lie to Kipp? How do we know you didn't use an enchantment spell on him   
and you're 'allies'?"  
  
"I don't know how I can prove it!" Makoto protested, eyes tearing.   
"I thought you were different from my people. I prayed that I could be   
accepted for who I was, not what I was."  
  
"How can she prove that she's telling the truth?" Kipp asked   
quietly.  
  
"A Mind Scan," Urd replied bluntly.  
  
"Onee-san!" Belldandy exclaimed.  
  
"It's the only way we can be sure," Urd returned.  
  
"It won't work," Kipp shot back. "All of the Espers know how to   
block Mind Scans, they also know how to create false images in their own   
minds."  
  
"Then she'll just have to let down all her defences," Urd growled.   
"Either way, I won't let a demon hurt my imouto-chan again!"  
  
"Urd," Skuld whispered, staring at her sister in shock.  
  
"Look, I'm not exactly thrilled about getting my ass kicked again,   
and I'm even less thrilled about endangering Skuld, but I won't let you   
invade my friend's mind," Kipp growled.  
  
"It's alright Kipp, I don't mind," Makoto said quietly. "I don't   
have anything to hide from them, just as long as they don't screw around   
in there."  
  
"Makoto-chan! Are you sure?" Kipp asked, turning in surprise.  
  
"I don't have anything to hide, and if you want a better chance in   
beating Daecar, then I have to do this," Makoto replied in utter   
conviction. "I don't have anything to hide, and I'm not scared of you!"  
  
"Wait!" Belldandy cried. "Urd, Skuld, I need to talk to you two."  
  
The three goddesses moved away from the two Espers, all the while   
keeping an eye on them. When they were far enough not to be heard, and   
after Urd had cast an anti-listening spell, Belldandy began to talk.  
  
" I think I should be the one to do the Mind Scan," she suggested.   
"You're too impulsive Urd, and you don't have the proper experience or   
training Skuld."  
  
"But I'm the strongest of us! If she tried something, I'll be   
able to fight her off easily," Urd pointed out.  
  
"Like I said earlier, you're too impulsive. If you find even one   
bit of incriminating evidence, you would fry her brain, even if there   
was a reason for the actions she took," Belldandy pointed out.   
"Besides, I'm as concerned about Skuld as you are, and almost as adept   
as you with Mind Scans."  
  
"Fine Bell-chan, but if she tries something..." Urd left the last   
part hanging ominously.  
  
"Very well, then we're agreed," Belldandy nodded her head.  
  
Meanwhile, one the other side of the shield, Kipp and Makoto were   
having a similar discussion.  
  
"You're absolutely sure about this?" Kipp asked, glancing   
worriedly at the three goddesses. "If Urd finds anything, I wouldn't   
be surprised if she killed you."  
  
"I'm sure Kipp, don't worry about it," Makoto reassured, not   
really feeling reassured herself.  
  
"The hell I won't worry!" Kipp exclaimed, pacing back and forth.   
"The Espers have been part of my life for over six years now, that's a   
quarter of my life! The hell I won't fret if one of them's putting   
their head on the block!"  
  
"But I'm not! They're goddesses, they have to be fair, besides,   
what do I have to hide?" Makoto retorted, and wasn't very comforted by   
the pained look Kipp gave her.  
  
"You don't know Urd like I do... Hell! I don't even know Urd   
that well, but what I do know is that if you harm someone she cares   
about, you're dead," Kipp exclaimed. "If she thinks you'll harm someone   
she cares about, she'll do things to you I shudder to think about."  
  
"She can't be that bad!" Makoto protested, nervously eyeing the   
platinum haired goddess.  
  
"That's when she's sober, she's at least a hundred times worse   
drunk!" Kipp whimpered, remembering the one time he had agreed to a   
drinking contest.  
  
It was then that the goddess turned back to the two Espers. When   
Makoto glanced into Urd's eyes, she began believe the warnings Kipp had   
given her. Swallowing noisily, Makoto walked up to the goddesses and   
bowed.  
  
"I'm ready," she said, sweating nervously.  
  
"Then I shall begin," Belldandy replied, smiling kindly. "Don't   
worry Makoto-san, I won't hurt you."  
  
"H-hai, let's begin," Makoto smiled back nervously.  
  
"This won't hurt... unless you resist. I suggest you drop all of   
your defences now, I don't want to hurt you," Belldandy suggested,   
waiting patiently for Makoto to acknowledge the command.  
  
"You don't?" Makoto asked, surprise written all over her face.   
"But your sister was hurt by one of my kind."  
  
"Daecar isn't one of your kind. He is a pure demon, you are a   
honyou," Kipp broke in, giving Makoto a hard look. "Don't you ever   
think you're like that thing."  
  
"Kipp! You shouldn't talk to your friends like that!" Belldandy   
scolded.  
  
"It's alright Megami-sama, Kipp's just concerned that I might slip   
into one of those depressions that us Espers are famous for," Makoto   
replied, giving Kipp a kind smile. "You're almost as good as Hikari at   
the pep talk thing."  
  
"I should be, she's given 'em to me enough times already," Kipp   
muttered, leaning against a wall.  
  
"Famous depressions?" Keiichi asked raising an eyebrow, but left   
it at that.  
  
"Ready when you are Megami-sama," Makoto whispered, bowing her   
head.  
  
"You can call me Belldandy," Belldandy smiled again, before   
lightly touching Makoto's forehead. "I'll begin... now."  
  
And the two zoned out.  
  
"If she hurts Oneesama, I'll kill her," Skuld growled, while Kipp   
frowned.  
  
"Makoto doesn't have the mental powers to do that, only Hikari   
could stand a chance against one of you in a mind battle," Kipp   
muttered, frustration mounting.  
  
"Look, why don't the three of you calm down," Megumi blurted out.   
"We're all friends here right?"  
  
"You're right Megumi, but I just can't stop worrying about my   
friends, especially the Espers," Kipp sighed, plopping on to the ground.   
"I can't stand this suspense much longer."  
  
"Why don't I get us something to eat?" Keiichi offered. "I'm sure   
there are some leftovers in the fridge."  
  
"Eating does help take the mind off some matters," Megumi agreed,   
slightly wistfully. "But I'm too tense to do much right now."  
  
"Same here," Urd nodded. "But some sake might be good."  
  
"Or ice cream," Skuld chimed in.  
  
"Is there anything in there that could take my mind off of this?"   
Kipp finally asked, peeling his eyes away from Megumi and Belldandy.   
"If not, just give me some leftovers."  
  
"As you command my lord," Keiichi replied, giving everyone a mock   
bow.  
  
"Then hop to it servant!" Megumi called, grinning from ear to ear.  
  
***  
  
Makoto thought glancing around the vast expanse of   
nothingness.  
  
Belldandy's voice called into   
her mind.  
  
Makoto blinked, glancing around the void.   
  
  
  
Belldandy replied, appearing before her.  
  
Makoto jerked back in surprise, then realized that she was   
floating... sort of. The two women were standing on nothing, and yet   
they stood on something firm. All around them was nothing, and yet it   
felt as if they were surrounded by everything.  
  
Makoto asked, blinking in confusion.   
  
Belldandy   
asked, smiling reassuringly.  
  
Makoto smiled in realization. I forgot all   
about them! Just wait a second okay?  
  
Makoto closed her 'eyes' for a moment, deep in concentration.   
Moments later the void began to 'dissolve.' All around them, the   
nothingness gave way to colours, feelings, thoughts, sensations,   
memories. The void gave way to the very essence of the being called   
Makoto Kagirinai.  
  
"It's beautiful," Makoto breathed, taking in herself.  
  
"Of course you are," Belldandy smiled, and began moving into the   
memories.  
  
"Hey! We're talking!" Makoto suddenly realized. "But we were   
thinking our words only a moment ago."  
  
"In this world, what you believe happens Makoto," Belldandy   
explained. "In the void, you thought you were alone, so you thought   
your words. Here, you see everyone you've known, and so you talk, like   
you did with them."  
  
"Now I remember why Hikari never bothered to elaborate on the   
matters of the mind," Makoto muttered. "It makes no sense what-so-  
ever."  
  
Belldandy giggled a bit, but continued on her way. At various   
intervals she would stop and glance into a memory, and feeling, a   
thought, and then continue onward. Makoto too stopped to look into her   
memories and such, always smiling at the events that had occurred.   
Eventually they reached a 'dead-end,' a wall of sorts.  
  
"I don't remember putting any defence up here, not even in my   
subconscious," Makoto frowned. "At least I don't think my subconscious   
did, but then it's my subconscious."  
  
"Don't worry Makoto, it isn't any defence you could put up,"   
Belldandy reassured, examining the wall. "This is the final barrier of   
the human mind, one that preserves and protects your secrets, good or   
evil."  
  
"So, this is the centre of my being essentially," Makoto deduced.   
"Then leave me out here, I don't want to learn what I am like this."  
  
"I understand," Belldandy smiled, and disappeared behind the wall.  
  
And then everything went dark.  
  
***  
  
The group had just finished a light snack while waiting for   
Belldandy to finish, when a dark ball of energy appeared above them.   
The goddess were instantly on their feet, magic and technology at the   
ready.  
  
"Hello children, how are you all?" Daecar's voice said gleefully   
from the ball.  
  
"Daecar?!" Kipp cried, leaping to his feet, mana pistols drawn.   
"Tell me where you are so I can blow your' bloody ass into itsy bitsy   
little pieces!"  
  
"Why, I'm right where your intelligence told you I was... and I   
have a few friends here too," Daecar's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Why   
don't you talk to them?"  
  
There was a brief pause on the other side before normal   
transmission began again. What happened next surprised everyone in the   
room.  
  
***  
  
Makoto had become completely bored as Belldandy rifted through the   
deepest recesses of her mind, so she had decided to examine the various   
objects that floated around her. She almost gave up hope of finding   
something amusing when she came across a window showing something very   
disturbing  
  
"This is what my eyes are seeing right now!" she exclaimed,   
watching as events unfolded.  
  
***  
  
"M-my name's Daisuke. I-i'm 8 years old, a-and I-i-i-i don't   
wanna DIEEEEE!" a little boys voice cried, even as his image was   
projected within the ball.  
  
"Daisuke, don't worry, the police are on the way," Kipp said,   
concern written all over his face. "Have you ever heard of the Sailor   
Senshi?"  
  
"Uh-huh, I-i like S-sailor V-venus the most," Daisuke sobbed.  
  
"Well, then, I know Sailor Venus and I'm going to get her to   
save you right this moment," Kipp promised, pulling out his cell phone.   
"Don't you worry, she'll get rid of those nasty monsters!"  
  
"R-really?" Daisuke asked, hope appearing in his eyes.  
  
"Hmm, can't have that," Daecar's voice suddenly muttered.  
  
For a moment, Daisuke's image wavered, and then Daecar was behind   
him, grasping his neck. Everyone watched in horror as the demon   
clenched its massive fist, snapping the little boy's neck like a twig.  
  
"Can't have hope here, no sir!" Daecar rumbled, pleasure written   
all over its grotesque features.  
  
"YOU'RE DEAD DAECAR!!" Kipp scream in fury, guns wavering in   
anger. "YOU HEAR ME YOU PEICE OF SHIT!! I'LL GIVE YOU THE MOST PAINFUL   
DEATH ANYTHING HAS EVER DEVISED!! HELL WILL FEEL LIKE A VACATION   
COMPARED TO MY PLANS FOR YOU!!"  
  
"I welcome the pain, but I doubt you can give it to me," Daecar   
sneered contemptuously. "Better hurry, because for everyday that passes,   
I'll kill one of my eight friends."  
  
"Don't move a muscle Daecar, I'm going to rip you limb from damned   
limb, then I'm going to feed you to your minions," Kipp growled, malice   
enough to poison the world dripping from each word. "Just you wait   
Daecar, I'm coming to get you, and not even Lucifer can save your sorry   
ass."  
  
"Such exquisite pain!" Daecar grinned from ear to ear. "Come, so   
that I may feed off of your pain."  
  
And then the ball was gone.  
  
***  
  
"Damn you Daecar, damn you," Makoto cursed, tears coursing down   
her cheeks. "I swear, if Kipp doesn't hurt you enough, I will."  
  
"Now I understand why you don't want to be one of them, why you   
can't. You're too kind, too caring, too good, too human to be one of   
them," Belldandy said gently from behind her. "Let's leave this place,   
you have work to do."  
  
"Let's," Makoto growled through sobs. "I'll get you Daecar, I   
swear it."  
  
And the two disappeared, vengeance consuming one, and sorrow the   
other.  
  
***  
  
Kipp slowly put his guns away, head bowed, and his entire body   
trembling from barely suppressed rage. After several moments, tears   
began to drip from his chin, which were soon followed by muffled sobs.  
  
Both goddesses and the two humans bowed their own heads, and said   
a silent prayer to the young Daisuke.   
  
Urd swallowed her sobs, knowing that she may appear cold-hearted,   
but she knew the child was in a better place. Skuld let her tears fall   
openly, hating the fact that a child never had the chance to truly   
experience life and all of it's joys.   
  
Megumi too cried, for she had never thought such a creature   
existed like Daecar, heck Mara didn't ever go that far! And she was a   
1st Class Demoness! Keiichi was like Kipp, fighting the urge to   
throttle something, anything! The feelings inside of him were just like   
the time he had lost one of his friend in a car accident.  
  
"Even if it take the rest of my life, I _will_ make you _Pay_,"   
Kipp swore, punching the wall.  
  
"I'm with you Kipp," Makoto whispered from behind him. "I will   
make that bastard pay, and pay in spades he will."  
  
"Makoto? You saw that?" Kipp asked quietly, turning to his face.   
"I'm sorry about draggin you and the Espers here..." He began.  
  
"Shut up! I'm tired of you trying to be the hero. I know you   
want to protect everyone, figuring that if you die, nobody would care,   
but you're wrong! I care, Hikari cares, Hiroshi, Rantora, Hikaru,   
Merlin, and hundreds more!" Makoto cut in, anger and pain in her eyes.   
"How do you think the kids would feel, knowing their onii-chan's dead,   
gone forever. One of their only constants, and one of their best   
friends' never coming back, never to visit them again!"  
  
"But..." Kipp tried again.  
  
"No buts, the Espers are coming, and I won't let you take the   
easy way out," Makoto exclaimed, daring Kipp to contradict her.  
  
Kipp stared in shock for a moment, jaw hanging open, and eyes wide.   
Slowly, ever so slowly, Kipp closed his jaw and smiled softly, eyes   
alight with gratitude.  
  
"Alright then Commander Kagirinai, we have work to do," Kipp   
ordered, grinning slightly. "You go ahead, I have some things to tell my   
new friends," he ordered, gesturing at the goddesses and humans.  
  
"You promise?" Makoto asked, and smiled when Kipp nodded solemnly.   
"Yes Sir!"  
  
Kipp waited until Makoto had left before turning to the gang. He   
smiled at them, looking for all the world as if he was just going out   
with some friends.  
  
"I'll see you guys later okay?" Kipp said, waving goodbye.  
  
"Don't even dare Kipp," Megumi growled, grabbing his shirt. "We   
all know what you're going to do, and we're not going to let you run   
off to fight a losing battle."  
  
"Yeah, all you have to do is ask and we can help you kick some   
demonic ass!" Urd whooped, giving Kipp a playful wink. "After all,   
it's not fun just beating on Mara!"  
  
"I won't let creatures like that run loose," Belldandy said   
grimly. "I will fight if that creature truly does plan to kill those   
children."  
  
"Hey, maybe ramming a car into it might cause it some pain!"   
Keiichi said grinning slightly. "We all want to get at it for what it   
did, let us."  
  
Kipp smiled softly, shaking his head in rueful amusement. Raising   
his head, Kipp waved again.  
  
"Sorry guys, can't let you be hurt," Kipp said quietly. "Besides,   
this is my job."  
  
Before anyone could protest, Kipp dropped a smoke/sleep grenade,   
and was gone. Only the two humans were sleeping when the smoke cleared,   
but the goddesses were feeling slightly drowsy.  
  
"That sneaky little punk!" Urd grumbled, rubbing her head.   
"We've got to find him!"  
  
"Luckily, I planted a tracking bug on him!" Skuld grinned, pulling   
out one of her many do-dads. "Let's see."  
  
***  
  
"What's this?" Kipp muttered, staring at the top of the handle   
bars, where a odd little gizmo sat. "Maybe it's a bomb..."  
  
Shrugging to himself, Kipp flicked the offending doodad off the   
bike and sped the vehicle up.  
  
***  
  
"Shoot! It's broken!" Skuld wailed, flinging the tracker away.   
"This sucks!"  
  
"I guess we rely on the old fashion way," Urd smirked. "Magic."  
  
"Hmph, you two go ahead, I'll go cook up some weapons to use on   
that demon," Skuld smiled grimly. "I'll make sure they hurt, a lot."  
  
"Make me one too," Urd said, before turning to her pot of   
bubbling... stuff. "Now then, where are you Kipp?"  
  
***  
  
Kipp hopped of the Prototype, and rushed inside a plain looking   
two story house. Inside, the Espers sat, each checking and rechecking   
their weapons, and most weren't testing their technological orientated   
weapons. Dropping the duffel bag in his hands, Kipp grinned and rubbed   
his hands together.  
  
"Alright guys, we have exactly one hour before the strike," he   
said, vengeance filling his features. "I want you all ready to go   
fifteen minutes before!"  
  
With that said, Kipp opened his bag and removed the assorted   
Atlantian tech weapons. What surprised him though were the odd clips   
for his guns. There were only two, and both were 'empty.' Examining   
each closely, Kipp shrugged and loaded them up and took an experimental   
shot at a barrier set up at one end of the room. Nothing happened.  
  
"Odd," he mused to himself, before spying a white sheet of paper   
tucked into his bag. "What's this?"  
  
Pulling the note from the bag, Kipp opened it and began to read.  
  
"Ohhh, Kipp's already got admirers!!" Rantora grinned, watching   
Kipp read the letter. "Funny how he's always got a girl chasing after   
him!"  
  
"Indeed, I mean what could they want in the kid?" Hikaru mused,   
grinning to himself.  
  
"I would be jealous, but then I already have a girlfriend,"   
Hiroshi said, looking at Makoto.  
  
It was a common joke among the guys, since Kipp almost always   
seemed to attract some girl wherever he went. Of course, this   
usually was only because he saved their lives, or the lives of their   
family/friends. Well, more like the Espers, led by Kipp, but it didn't   
really matter to most of the starry eyed ladies, who figured the leader   
was usually the coolest.  
  
"Actually, these are technical specs on my weapons," Kipp said   
absently. "Seems Skuld upgraded them, and clips draw off of mana I   
feed them."  
  
"So basically, you can fire until you tire yourself out?" Makoto   
asked.  
  
"Yeah, and they require very little mana for a shot of equal   
strength to our own shots," Kipp replied, distractedly. "Very   
intriguing."  
  
"Hold on a second you two," Hikari interjected. "Who's Skuld?"  
  
"One of the three goddesses you sent me to meet," Makoto answered.  
  
"She's the youngest, and the most technologically inclined," Kipp   
filled in. "She makes things from scratch that we would consider   
technological miracles."  
  
"And she just upgraded and fixed your weapons? For free?" Hikaru   
said incredously. "What's the catch?"  
  
"She wanted to study Atlantian technology, since she couldn't get   
her hands on any herself," Kipp explained, tucking away the note.   
"In other words, she's a young, female version of Tentetsu."   
  
Everyone in the room 'ahh'ed in immediate understanding, before   
returning to their work.  
  
"Let's try this baby out," Kipp said quietly, pointing the gun at   
the target. "All I have to do is focus my powers into the handle, and   
pull the trigger."  
  
Kipp squinted, focusing on the handle, and watched in fascination   
as mana seeped from his hands into the clip. Slowly, the clips began to   
radiate a blue light, signalling that mana capacity was at max.  
  
"Here we go!" Kipp grinned, pulling the trigger.  
  
From the nozzle, blue light gathered, pulling in additional mana   
as it prepared to let loose. In a split second, the blue energy flew   
forth, obliterating the target, and cutting a large hole into the steel   
wall behind it. Every single one of the Espers stared in shock, their   
jaws touching the ground.  
  
"I want one," Hiroshi breathed, awe struck at the power of a   
mere pistol.  
  
"You're not the only one," Rantora said, fingers twitching.   
"Say, Kipp, ol'buddy, ol'pal, won't you lend me one of your pistols?"  
  
"Get your own!" Kipp growled, cradling his guns. "Besides, you   
have that shotgun of yours!"  
  
"Yeah, but I want one in case my shotgun breaks!" Rantora   
replied, reaching for the weapons.  
  
"Will you stop that?" Kipp asked irritably. "You only have ten   
minutes left."  
  
"They'll be mine! This I swear!" Rantora declared... and was   
promptly clobbered.  
  
"Shut up and suit up," Hikari growled, loading up her gun.  
  
"Yes Ma'am!" everyone saluted, then rushed off to make final   
preparations.  
  
***  
  
"He's moving again," Urd said, staring into her pot of stuff.   
"And fast too, must be using his bike."  
  
"Alright, I'm ready!" Skuld grinned, hefting her mallet, a large   
tube like canon, and an Uzi like gun.  
  
"Anything for me?" Urd asked, eyeing the canon greedily.  
  
"Yep!" Skuld said cheerfully, handing Urd the canon. "This is the   
Demonic Pest Eliminator Mark III, DPE3 for short."  
  
"And what does it do?" Urd asked, eyeing the canon dubiously. "It   
does work right?"  
  
Skuld pouted angrily momentarily, before pridefully explaining the   
capabilities of her weapon. "The DPE3 fires a blast of "positive"   
energy, just enough to force most to retreat back to Hell, and injure   
anything that doesn't," Skuld stated proudly, grinning like a maniac.  
  
Urd grinned evilly, hefting her new toy. "Nice, and what do you   
have there Skuld?" she asked, indicating Skuld's uzi-esque weapon.  
  
"This doesn't have a name yet," Skuld explained, raising her   
weapon. "But it's based on the Atlantian weapons Kipp has. I was going   
to make it into something I didn't have to hold but I didn't have time."   
she said, disappointment written all over her features, which quickly   
turned to excitement. "This is going to be so cool!"  
  
"You two take care!" Belldandy called. "I would go with you, but   
somebody has to take care of Keiichi and Megumi. You two bring Kipp   
back, okay?"  
  
"No problem Oneesama, we'll bring him back!" Skuld smiled   
reassuringly.  
  
"Right after we kick Daecar's ass!" Urd chirped, jumping into the   
TV.  
  
"Definitely after we kick Daecar's ass!" Skuld agreed, hopping   
into a cup of tea.  
  
"Have fun you two!" Belldandy called, knowing full well the   
implications of _that_ statement.  
  
***  
  
The silver half moon hung almost delicately in the sky, its silver   
light illuminating a large, not quite abandoned warehouse. Inside the   
are house, its large interior housed dozens of demons, ranging from the   
lowly 16th Class demons, to the powerful 9th Class Demons. But what was   
even more intimidating was the large throne, made from bone and flesh,   
and the 8th Class that sat upon it. The intimidation obviously affected   
the two black suited males at the foot of the throne.  
  
"We are agreed then?" Daecar asked, addressing the two humans   
before him.  
  
"Y-yes, the Serpent Fangs of the Yakuza will assist its patrons   
when you call upon us," one replied shakily.  
  
"And you will give us the weapons," the other insisted boldly.  
  
"May I speak with my associate for a moment... privately,   
Daecar-sama?" the first asked humbly.  
  
"Do hurry, I might not be interested soon," Daecar replied   
boredly, waving a hand dismissively.  
  
The two suits moved aside, to what they felt was a safe distance   
away (it wasn't), before whispering angrily amounts themselves.  
  
"What the hell are you thinking Daisuke?!" the first growled.   
"They could wipe us out without even trying!"  
  
"Yeah, but they want our help, and we need everything we can get   
if we want to be at the top of Yakuza!" Daisuke argued. "You want to   
be at the top don't you Keitaro?"  
  
"But demanding something of Daecar-sama, in that tone of voice   
too!" Keitaro wrung his hands. "You could have us all killed!"  
  
"But think of the payoff!" Daisuke pointed out. "With those  
weapons Daecar promised, we could rule this city!"  
  
"Very well, I see your point," Keitaro sighed in defeat. "But   
don't do anything so rash again, he might fell like adding your corpse   
to his throne." he warned, glancing nervously at the throne.  
  
"Agreed," Daisuke shuddered involuntarily.  
  
Conference concluded, the two moved back to their former   
positions. Daecar glanced up from sharpening his claws, and smiled   
lazily at the two, it was a truly frightening smile.  
  
Daecar mentally   
smiled. "Have you made up your minds?" he asked the two yakuza thugs.  
  
"We have," Keitaro spoke up.  
  
"And...?" Daecar asked the two impatiently when neither cared to   
elaborate.  
  
"We have decided to..." Daisuke swallowed nervously before giving   
the final answer. "...accept your offer Daecar-sama.  
  
Daecar smiled broadly, displaying his sharp teeth. "Excellent."  
  
"If that is all, we will be leaving now," Daisuke said rather   
nervously.  
  
"Very well, the weapons shall be delivered soon," Daecar assured   
one last time, before turning his attention to other matters. "Be gone,"   
he said, dismissing the two rudely.  
  
The two thugs beat a quick exit, neither wanting to spend another   
minute in the foul creature's presence. Outside, Keitaro pulled out a   
cigar and began to smoke, offering Daisuke one as well.  
  
"That was unpleasant to say the least," Keitaro sighed, taking a   
deep drag.  
  
"Definitely," Daisuke second, taking a puff from his cigar.   
"Lets get out of here."  
  
It was then they noticed the shadowed figured in front of them.   
There looked to be six figures and three vehicles. Arrayed in a semi  
-circle around the entrance to the warehouse, the figures almost   
seemed like they were just relaxing.  
  
The figure in the middle sat atop his sleek black motorcycle.   
Headphones adorned his head, and his black hair bounced as he nodded his   
head to the music. To his left was a sleek red sports car with two   
figures around it. One, the male one, sat inside of the vehicle,   
reading a novel illuminated by a flashlight. The female stood outside,   
leaning on the car's frame, doodling on a sketchpad. To the middle   
figures right sat a large black hummer. Sitting in front of the foreword   
tires, the male figure leaned against the tire and seemed to be writing   
something on a pad of paper. Within the vehicle, a female figure sat, a   
laptop open in front of her. On the roof of the hummer, another male   
lay, staring up at the stars.  
  
The two yakuza agents reached into their suit jackets, each   
reaching for a gun, but their hands never reached that far. Both   
screamed in agony as a bullet of mana slammed into the offending hands.   
  
Keitaro was the first to overcome his shock. "You're so dead   
kid!! Do you know who I am?" he raged, clutching his bleeding hand.   
"I'm Orochi Keitaro, leader or the Serpent Fangs!"  
  
The male in the middle raised his head, brown eyes a cold as ice.   
"Am I supposed to be impressed?" he asked coldly.  
  
"You punk!" Daisuke growled, pulling the gun out with his other   
hand.  
  
Instantly, all six of the Espers had guns out, aimed to Daisuke.   
Hikari with her really large _normal_ pistol, Hikaru and his Atlantian   
Tech sniper rifle, Makoto and her Atlantian Tech automatic rifle,   
Hiroshi and his Atlantian Elemental Canon Mk III, Rantora and his   
Atlantian Tech duel barrel shotgun, and Kipp with his twin goddess   
altered Atlantian Tech pistols. Daisuke gulped audibly and dropped   
the gun.  
  
"Good boy," Makoto growled from her position by Hiroshi's sports   
car.  
  
Keitaro started to edge back towards the warehouse while the   
Espers were occupied with Daisuke, but unfortunately for him, Kipp wasn't   
looking at Daisuke. In a flash, Kipp was off his bike and in front of   
the thug, one hand wrapped around Keitaro's neck.  
  
"Did you know that your patron Daecar-sama," Kipp spat out   
Daecar's name. "Kills little children?" When Keitaro nodded his head   
in affirmative, Kipp snarled savagely, hurling the yakuza man on to the   
street. "Then you, and your gang, are next."  
  
With that said, the rest of the Espers shoved Daisuke out on to   
the road beside his boss. The two yakuza thugs looked positively   
terrified for a moment, before both put on the "Tough Yakuza That's   
Going to Kill You" look. It had no effect. The two yakuza thugs   
decided that the night was a great time to run when every single one of   
the Espers began casting spells. Once the two were gone from sight,   
Kipp turned his attention back to the warehouse, and his pray within.  
  
"Alright, you all know the plan!" he cried, dropping his diskman.   
"Rantora, Hiroshi, Makoto, you're with me," the three nodded, and   
positioned themselves around the entrance. "Hikari, Hikaru, you two   
guard our backs in case they decide to get smart, also, Hikari try to   
alert us if you sense anything."  
  
Orders given, the leader of the Esper's raised his gun, and blew   
the door apart, and as one, the four Assault Espers charged in, weapons   
blazing. Outside, the Intelligence Espers scanned the streets,   
prepared to put a round of mana/telekinetic bullets through anything   
that moved.  
  
***  
  
Through the night sky, two goddess flew towards a demons lair, to   
stop what could be the end of their new friend Kipp. The young man had   
only been in their lives for a week, well in Skuld's case, two months,   
and already he had told them much of himself, had given his trust   
completely to them, and had fought on two occasions for the life of one   
of them.   
  
No matter how one looked at it, he had indeed made an impact in   
their lives, possibly changing for the better, or for the worse. But   
now, he fought not out of duty or honour, but to avenge the deaths of   
the countless children the demon Daecar had killed. In short, he fought   
now out of anger, and any fighter can tell you that anger makes you   
vulnerable. And if this vulnerability killed him, than the impact he   
created would be one of the worse kinds.  
  
"How much further Urd?" Skuld called urgently. "We have to   
hurry!"  
  
"You think I don't know that?" Urd snapped angrily. "I don't want   
to see him die either!"  
  
"Well than hurry!" Skuld retorted.  
  
And than they were stopped.  
  
"What the?" Urd muttered, pushing at the invisible wall before   
her.  
  
"What is this?" Skuld asked, prodding the unseen barrier.   
"Maybe a demon decided to intercept us," Skuld muttered, and was   
instantly on guard.  
  
"It's not demonic energy, but it does feel similar," Urd   
muttered.  
  
"Of course it should, my dear Urd," a voice came from behind them.  
  
Instantly, the two goddesses turned, weapons at ready. Before   
them floated a clocked figure, the hood obscuring its face in shadows.   
In its right hand it clutched a wooden staff with a large gem of some   
sort at the tip.  
  
"After all, you granted my wish," Merlin said, raising his hood.  
  
"Merlin!" Urd gasped, than growled. "Let us through, we have to   
go save that thick-headed soldier of yours."  
  
"You mean Kipp?" Merlin asked, amusement lighting his face.  
  
"Of course we mean Kipp!" Skuld exclaimed. "We have to save him   
from Daecar!"  
  
"I'm sorry, but this has to happen," Merlin said, genuinely   
saddened. "I too would love to help that baka of a student, but I have   
been forbidden."  
  
"But we haven't, now let me through or I'll break this damn shield   
of yours!" Urd growled, raising the DPE3.  
  
"I wish I could, but you can't help either," Merlin explained   
sadly.  
  
"By whose orders?" Urd asked. "Never mind! I'll blow my way   
out!"  
  
With that, the eldest goddess began shooting bolt after bolt of   
azure energy at the shield, but to no avail. frustration mounting, Urd   
began casting Lightening Bolts at the shield, again to no affect.   
Screaming in frustration, Urd fired a single Force Bolt... and nothing   
happened.  
  
"What. Are. You. DOING?!?!?" Urd screamed, rounding on the   
immortal mage.  
  
"Me? Nothing, but you might want to ask Him," Merlin smiled   
wanly, pointing upwards, towards the heavens.  
  
"You can't be serious!" Urd smirked.  
  
"Ummm, Urd," Skuld began, trying to catch Urd's attention.  
  
"Not now Skuld, I have to beat up an old friend," Urd grinned,   
advancing on Merlin.  
  
"URD!!!" Skuld yelled angrily. "Turn around now!!"  
  
"What is it?!" Urd roared, spinning around.  
  
Standing where the shield once stood was a very handsome man. He   
had deep blue eyes, and golden hair, which reached his shoulders. He   
wore shining gold plate-mail armour, and a crimson cape. Over his   
heart, the image of a blazing sun was engraved. On his face were the   
three blue markings of a god, his were perfect circles, the one on the   
forehead was the only one different. It too was a circle but with four   
triangles pointing out from the one on the forehead. But if the   
markings weren't enough, the being also had an aura of light.  
  
"Hello, Urd," he said, his voice rich and melodies.  
  
"Hello, Apollo," she replied hesitantly.  
  
"Hi, Uncle Apollo," Skuld said cheerfully. "Are you here to help   
us save Kipp?"  
  
"Skuld, be quiet," Urd shushed her youngest sibling.  
  
"No Skuld, I'm not here to help Hyperion," Apollo replied, eyes as   
cold as stone. "This has to happen. The boy has to experience this."  
  
"Apollo, I don't doubt your wisdom, but why?" Urd asked, lowering   
the DPE3.  
  
"I too wish to know," Merlin said, floating over beside Urd. "I   
would like to limit the pain that poor child must experience."  
  
"You are aware that the Chosen have Awakened, are you not?" Apollo   
asked, without waiting for an answer, he continued. "And he is one of   
the Chosen, yet he has not Awakened yet."  
  
"But he knows of his past!" Merlin argued. "He knows he was   
Hyperion, he knows of the fall of the Silver Millennium..."  
  
"But he doesn't know how to use his power," Apollo finished.  
  
"So you intend on forcing him to Awaken?" Urd asked hotly.  
  
"If it comes to that, yes," Apollo replied sadly.  
  
"Are you so arrogant that you must torture that boy, just so you   
can be represented in the fight against Hell?" Urd asked.  
  
"NO!" Apollo yelled, appalled. "If I could avoid this I would! But   
I can't."  
  
"What do you mean can't?" Skuld asked. "For that matter, what are   
you talking about?"  
  
"Skuld, I'll explain it later," Urd said rather tightly.  
  
"Skuld was it?" Merlin asked, floating up besides the young   
goddess. "I'll tell you, since I can't compete with those two."  
  
"You're Merlin right?" Skuld asked, eyeing the old man beside her.  
  
"Yes, I am," Merlin smiled at the girl. "Now than, what do you   
want to know?"  
  
"Well, what are those two talking about, and why does he want Kipp   
to 'Awaken' so badly?" Skuld asked, confusion evident in her voice.  
  
"You know Kipp is from the Silver Millennium, and one of the heroes   
of that time, correct?" when Skuld nodded, Merlin continued. "Well,   
when Kipp was reborn, his memories of that time were sealed away, to be   
returned when they were absolutely needed."  
  
"But they aren't needed!" Skuld said frustrated.  
  
"I'll explain that soon enough," Merlin soothed. "To Awaken is to   
return his memories, to awaken Hyperion from his slumber, and this can   
be done in two ways." Merlin explained. "The first, and safest way, is   
to have somebody blessed with the power of the Ginzuishou, or the   
Ginzuishou itself, from the Silver Millennium use thier abilities and   
unlock the memories. The second is to place the person in a situation   
of extreme stress," Merlin's eyes hardened.  
  
"But why can't a god just break the seal?" a puzzled Skuld asked.  
  
"Like the enchantments of a demon, the spell that sent Kipp forward   
also has a pass code of sorts," the old arch mage explained.  
  
"So Apollo wants to force Kipp to remember?!" Skuld cried in   
distress. "Urd!! You can't let Apollo do that!"  
  
"I know Skuld," Urd said from the corner of her mouth, eyes still   
fixed on Apollo. "And I have no intention of letting him either."  
  
"Urd, you don't understand!" Apollo pleaded. "I didn't decide   
this!"  
  
"Then who did?" Urd asked, raising the DPE3.  
  
"Kami-sama," Merlin answered, realization striking him.   
"Kami-sama ordered it to be so, because of Chaos."  
  
***  
  
Inside the warehouse, complete and total hell had broken loose.   
The Espers were almost guaranteed to hit something no matter which   
direction they shot. The demons on the other hand were completely   
disorganized, madly rushing the four SD agents, and getting riddled with   
mana almost as quickly. Never less, the demons were thinning, and the   
SD agents were running out of ammo and explosives.  
  
Outside, the two Info agents were picking off anything that   
decided to try and flank the Assault agents, and there were a lot of   
them. But unlike the Assault team, the Info team had both cover and a   
large hummer filled with ammo and explosives, so they were faring much   
better than their hot headed counterparts.  
  
And than things went from bad to worse for the Assault team.  
  
"Hello boy, come to play?" Daecar sneered, shrugging off   
everything the Espers inside had to throw at him. Grinning like the   
maniac that he was, Daecar rushed forward and slammed Rantora into a   
wall, pivoted, and kicked Hiroshi into another wall.  
  
"Dammit, this isn't working!" Makoto growled, ditching her useless   
rifle and pulling out her mana tonfa. "Come here and die bastard!!"  
  
"Hehehe, why do you attack me?" Daecar asked, dodging Makoto's   
strikes. "You're one of us, your blood screams to do as we do. Join us   
and let yourself be free!" he crowed.  
  
"Never!" Makoto screamed vehemently. "I'm not one of you!! And I   
never will be!" as she screamed, each strike she made slammed into   
Daecar's leathery hide, causing only minimal damage.  
  
"Very well, I gave you a chance to live, and you denied me,"   
Daecar growled in mock sadness. "I guess I must destroy you now."  
  
"Not fucking likely!" Hiroshi growled from behind Daecar, a very   
large mana blade in each hand.  
  
"Yeah, you'll have to kill all of us first!" Rantora grinned,   
three mana claws ripping out of the gauntlets on each arm.  
  
"Because when one falls, another will be there to protect them,"   
Kipp said, raising his mana blade, shield at ready.  
  
"Hehehehehe, than I'll kill you all now!!" Daecar grinned evilly.  
  
***  
  
"You think they're almost done?" Hikaru asked, glancing at the   
hoards of demons that covered the front entrance.  
  
"Well the demonic hoards are thinning, so it's safe to assume   
that they've almost finished," Hikari nodded, than frowned.  
  
"What is it?" Hikaru asked, noting Hikari's frown.  
  
"They're mad about something," Hikari muttered, straining her   
senses.  
  
"Well, maybe they just found that Daecar bastard," Hikaru   
suggested, tossing a grenade over the hummer's roof.  
  
"Nooo, I don't think that's it," Hikari shook her head, squinting   
slightly. "Makoto's the maddest, and if they found Daecar, than Kipp   
would be even worse."  
  
"Hmmm, true, but I still wonder what's going on in there," Hikaru   
muttered, shooting a lowly 12th class between the eyes.  
  
"I don't know..." Hikari stopped in mid-sentence as a human shaped   
indent appeared on the metal door.  
  
"What the fuck?!" Hikaru exclaimed, staring at the odd impact.  
  
And than the door burst open, throwing Hiroshi and Rantora out   
onto the street. Makoto soon followed, flying through a wall. Kipp   
flew through the ceiling and landed on the asphalt in front of the   
hummer. Hikari and Hikaru both winced as each of their comrades flew   
out of the warehouse.  
  
"That hurt," Rantora groaned, rising to his feet.  
  
"Think about me for a second will you?" Hiroshi groaned from   
beneath Rantora.  
  
"Oh shut up you two," Makoto growled.  
  
Kipp just groaned in agony.  
  
"This is fun!" Daecar grinned, stepping out on to the streets.   
"We should do this more often."  
  
"Oh shut up," Hikaru muttered, throwing a grenade in the demon's   
direction while Hikari dragged all of the Espers behind the hummer with   
her telekinesis.  
  
The grenade did hurt Daecar, but unfortunately, the Espers were   
entirely out of elemental grenades. But they weren't out of tricks yet.  
  
"Alright, this time you die," Kipp growled, circling Daecar, blade   
held low.  
  
"I'm not one of you, and I never will be!" Makoto yelled, tonfa at   
ready.  
  
"We'll stop you here and now, even if it means dieing ourselves,"   
Rantora grimaced, but the determination in his eyes never left, even as   
he raised his claws.  
  
"Apart we are weak, together we'll kick your ass!" Hiroshi grinned   
ferally, joining his two swords at the hilt to create a vicious double   
bladed spear.  
  
"You are the shadow, and we the light," Hikaru growled, holding a   
mana kodachi in each hand. "And the shadow always cowers before the   
light."  
  
"Die!!" Hikari screamed, her blues eyes blazing with power.  
  
By now, all of the Espers, except Hikari, were circling Daecar in   
a star formation. Hikari stood behind them, her psychic powers active.   
The formation, without Hikari, was known as the Cage, to attack the   
target from five sides with five completely different fighting styles.   
It was a technique meant to overwhelm the target.  
  
"Hehehe, brave words for a bunch of lowly mortals," Daecar sneered   
with contempt. "But know this, Espers, you cannot Cage this demon!"  
  
Not even a flicker of surprise showed on their faces as the Espers   
as one struck. Daecar was hard pressed to defend against the five   
physical assaults and the one mental attack, but this was no ordinary   
8th Class demon, and it fully intended to make them aware of that fact.  
  
"ROAR!" Daecar screamed, and everything within a five-metre radius   
of him was flung back twenty metres.  
  
"What the fuck?!" Rantora groaned.  
  
"Shit, he must have been augmented some how," Hikaru groused,   
clutching his right arm.  
  
"Your arm's broken Hikaru..." Hikari began, hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Don't bother, I can still fight," Hikaru said, wincing slightly.  
  
"Remind me to get padded armour next time we do something like   
this," Hiroshi grumbled.  
  
"Quit whining you damn pansy," Makoto growled, shaking off her   
headache.  
  
"Damn, there go three ribs, and I just got them healed too!" Kipp   
groaned, holding his shield over his chest.  
  
"Awww, did I hurt the whittle mortals?" Daecar said in a singsong   
tone. "I'll try to be more gentle next time."  
  
"Alright guys! All out!" Kipp ordered, hands glowing with arcane   
energy. "Attack!"  
  
From all around Daecar came six entirely different attacks, all   
non-physical, but all much more damaging.  
  
"ELEMENTAL STRIKE!" cried Kipp releasing the built up energy.  
  
"WILD TIGER!" Rantora screamed, punching forward and releasing a   
torrent of uncontrolled mana.  
  
"Shadow Storm," Hikaru whispered, and the shadows themselves   
rushed to do his bidding.  
  
"DARKSIDE!" Makoto howled, her eyes completely red, as she   
released the power of her heritage.  
  
"LIGHT ARROW!" Hiroshi yelled, as he threw a bolt of light that   
was much too large to be an arrow.  
  
"Pyrokenisis," Hikaru smirked as Daecar burst into flames.  
  
The five attacks struck home, causing a massive explosion, but   
none of the Espers let their guards down for even a moment to celebrate.  
And their precautions were well founded as the dust settled and Daecar   
still stood, relatively unscathed. The demon turned its black orbs on   
Hikari and frowned.  
  
"You hurt me," he said simply, and than his face contorted into a   
mask of pure rage. "YOU HURT ME!! DIE!!!!"  
  
And than Hikari screamed as he invaded her mind, attacking her   
very sense of being. But in order to do so, he had lost complete sense   
of the "Real" world, allowing the Espers to rush him. The physical pain   
hurt it, and it was forced to retreat from the psychic before he could   
any lasting harm, but he had managed to put her completely out of the   
fight.  
  
"DIE!!! ALL OF YOU DIE!!!" Daecar screamed, bodily hurling the   
Espers away. Its black eyes quickly analyzed the fighters arranged   
around him, and sought out the first that would fall. "You first," he   
grumbled, pointing at Hikaru.  
  
And then it moved, striking faster then any human could move. One   
hand dug into the boy's leg, causing blood to gush forth, the other   
dislocated Hikaru's left arm. Even as Hikaru scream in agony, the   
Espers were on Daecar again, slashing, hacking, clawing, and blasting   
the demon's leathery hide.  
  
"You're next," Daecar growled, throwing Hikaru into the side of   
the hummer, after slamming his head into the ground a few times, and   
grabbed Makoto. "You know, I've heard that half-breeds make excellent   
whores, they have the stamina of our kind, but the beauty of the weak   
humans," Daecar grinned darkly, one hand wrapped around the girl's chin.  
  
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF HER!!!!" Hiroshi screamed, slamming into   
Daecar's side, his lance cutting chunks out of the demon's already battered   
flesh., even as Makoto slammed her tonfa into the demon's face.  
  
"FINE!! TAKE HER!!" Daecar raged, grabbing Hirohi's head and   
slammed it together with Makoto's repeatedly, completely ignoring Kipp   
and Rantora's attacks.  
  
He finally released the two when both had fallen into sweet   
oblivion from the injuries they had sustained. Slowly, Daecar turned to   
face the remaining Espers, and he smiled a truly terrifying smile. And   
either the two males ignored the look, or they were just plain stupid,   
because both continued to hack at Daecar's flesh.  
  
"Inny, minny, mineny, mo, catch a TIGER by the toe!" Daecar   
grinned, grabbing Rantora's leg. Even as Rantora flailed about, Kipp   
desperately tried to hack off Daecar's arm, but was backhanded into a   
wall. "Wait your turn!" Daecar growled at him.  
  
Nuisance gone for the time being, Daecar began to swing Rantora   
around, building up momentum, and than slammed him face first into the   
asphalt, lifted him, and slammed into the asphalt on the other side of   
the demon. This was repeated over and over again, into Rantora could   
was barely alive. Throwing his unconscious victim away, Daecar turned to   
the groggy Kipp and smiled a vicious smile.  
  
"And then, there was one,"  
  
***  
  
Meanwhile, the gods, and one immortal arch mage, were watching as   
the battle unfolded before them. As each Esper fell, Merlin lost a   
little more of his restraint, with each of Daecar's attacks that   
connected, Urd grew even more agitated, as Daecar committed brutality   
after brutality, Skuld came closer and closer to tears. Apollo on the   
other hand had already snapped, and was uselessly cheering on the Espers   
and cursing the 'Foul, hell spawned, villainous, infidel, creature   
Daecar.'  
  
"Burn it!" he yelled, clutching his golden bow. "Die you   
blasphemous creature!"  
  
"Cut that out!" Urd snapped, staring into the view gate they had   
created. "It's getting really annoying."  
  
"To say the least," Merlin muttered under his breath.  
  
"Come on Kipp! Beat in his ass!" Skuld whispered to herself.  
  
"If only I could let loss my golden shafts!" Apollo bemoaned.  
  
"Yeah, and if only I could fire off the DPE3, or a Thunderbolt,"   
Urd sighed, and then winced when Rantora hit the ground.  
  
"Kami-sama! Please let me help him!" Merlin called to the   
heavens. "Please! They've suffered more then any mortal should!"  
  
But his pleas went unheard as the wall of air refused to budge.   
And then inspiration hit Skuld.  
  
"He's still got that wish!" she realized, hope filling her.  
  
"Wish? What wish?" Urd asked, turning to Skuld.  
  
"Indeed, what wish?" Apollo asked, eyes still on the gate.  
  
"Kipp qualified for a wish, according to the Peorth," Skuld   
explained. "And since Peorth was busy with the virus that had hit   
Yggdrasil, she sent me to grant the wish."  
  
"Was that perhaps the day Daecar made himself known?" Apollo   
asked suspiciously.  
  
"Yeah, it was!" Skuld gasped. "Kami-sama! Are you saying..."  
  
"Yes, I'm afraid I am," Apollo whispered, turning back to the   
gate. "Hell as finally managed to break our codes. Hell has access to   
the Heaven section of Yggdrasil."  
  
"At the exact moment we gained access to theirs," Urd whispered.  
  
"And the exact same day the Doublet System was hacked," Skuld   
added fearfully.  
  
"May Destiny have mercy upon us all," Merlin whispered, turning   
away from the battle between the Esper's and Daecar. "It puts this   
entire battle into perspective doesn't it?" he murmured, gesturing at   
the gate.  
  
"He could still win," Skuld said at Merlin's side.  
  
"Yes, even if the War is about to start again, he can still be   
saved from Death," Apollo agreed, taking some comfort in the thought.  
  
"The wish could save him," Urd nodded, a small smile showing on   
her lips. "Better to save one life, then none at all."  
  
"And maybe, just maybe, this fight is like our own," Merlin   
whispered, turning back to watch the battle with renewed hope.  
  
***  
  
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Daecar laughed, holding the battered body of   
the remaining conscious Esper in his grasp. "Finally! Lord Chaos'   
dreams are coming into fruitarian!"  
  
"Chaos?" Kipp managed to say through his broken jaw.  
  
"Oh no, I'm not going to tell you," Daecar shook his finger to   
accent the point. "You see, when you die, you're most likely going to   
end up in Heaven, and then you could ruin everything for my master," the   
demon explained."  
  
"So, I'm going to die now aren't I?" Kipp grinned despite the   
morbid thought. "Oh well, life was good, can't say I have that many   
regrets."  
  
Daecar frowned, he   
thought to himself angrily. Braking   
Kipp's remaining good arm, Daecar yelled through Kipp's agonized scream.   
"Why aren't you scared?! Don't you fear Death?!"  
  
"Yeah, I do," Kipp managed through clenched teeth. "But hey, at   
least when I die, I'll get to face you again!"  
  
grinning like the maniac   
that he was, Daecar slammed Kipp into the ground, then turned and   
stalked towards Hikari's prone form. "No, I won't kill you yet," Daecar   
said. "I'll kill your friends first!"  
  
"no... please, no," Kipp whispered, trying futily to stand.   
"please, leave them be."  
  
"No, I want to hear your anguished screams as I snap each of their   
necks," Daecar growled gleefully. "Watch as I end the distinguished   
careers of every single Esper! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"  
  
  
  
Slowly, Daecar bent over to grab Hikari's head.  
  
  
  
Raising the blond girls head by her hair, Daecar turned back to   
Kipp and grinned.  
  
  
  
"How does it feel to be absolutely helpless?" Daecar asked.  
  
  
  
"Lets begin shall we?" Daecar asked, placing Hikari's body   
in front of him. "Here, I'll give you the best view."  
  
"i want to be stronger," Kipp sobbed quietly, closing his eyes.   
"i wish i had Hyperion's power."  
  
And the world vanished in a blaze of white.  
  
***  
  
Skuld's eyes suddenly turned white, as her head turned to the   
heavens, and then a light burst forth from the symbol upon her   
f0orehead.  
  
"Alright!" Urd cheered, catching Skuld in her arms.  
  
"But is Hyperion's power enough to defeat Daecar?" Merlin asked.  
  
"I don't know," Hyperion admitted. "It has been a long time since   
I last saw the boy fight,"   
  
"He will win, I'm sure of it!" Skuld insisted, shaking her head to   
clear it..  
  
"True, he does have the advantage of surprise," Merlin agreed.  
  
"And now the battle truly begins," Apollo sighed, returning his   
attention to the battlefield.  
  
***  
  
Kipp thought, staring at the scenery of white.   
  
All around him was white, making it virtually impossible to   
determine if there was anything around at all. The only thing that Kipp   
had been able to confirm was that he was in perfect condition, and that   
his clothing was in one piece.  
  
"What just happened?" he asked aloud, waiting for something to   
happen. "Umm, hello? Anybody there?"  
  
At first, there was only an echo, and then something responded   
ever so softly. As the echo reached him, Kipp frowned, straining his   
ears to make out the voice and the words.  
  
"Hello?" he called again, looking around for the person who had   
first responded.  
  
"hello..." came the reply, louder now.  
  
"Who's there?" Kipp asked, turning slowly, eyes flashing back and   
forth.  
  
"you..." the voice replied.  
  
"Me? Me what?" Kipp called, wishing that he had better psychic   
abilities.  
  
And then a shadow appeared at the horizon, growing in size, shape,   
definition, and texture as it came closer. Kipp stared for a long   
while, and then he grinned, laughing like a fool.  
  
"I'm dead! There's no other explanation!" he laughed, sitting   
down to steady himself. "I'm dead, an-and it's all over!" he laughed   
wildly, and then he began to sob. "I'm dead, and they'll be soon."  
  
"Not necessarily," Hyperion said, stopping in front of Kipp.   
  
The Atlantian prince was dressed in his typical combat gear, light   
plate mail over his chest, shoulder guards, thigh guards, gauntlets, and   
greaves, all golden in colour, yet stronger then almost every substance   
known to man. Over his shoulder guards was a cloak, black on the   
outside, green on the inner lining. Under all of his armour, the man   
wore a black tunic and black pants held up with a silver belt buckle.   
Over his heart, and on the belt buckle were the stylized infinite   
symbol, the one over his heart coloured green, while the one on the   
buckle was silver.   
  
At his waist, the Blade of Eternity was sheathed, the blade said   
to have been wielded by an archangel in the years of the War. A arrow   
shaped ruby served as the blade's pommel, and weapon if need be, while   
two arrow shaped sapphires were placed on opposite sides of the hand   
guard, and an emerald at where the blade connected with the hilt.   
From pommel to blade tip, the Blade of Eternity rivalled the size of a   
bastard sword.   
  
But the most distinguishing on the young prince was the royal   
marking on his brow, a green infinite symbol interposed on top of a blue   
circle. According to Kipp's memories, he was the only one of the   
Atlantian royal family to have one, mainly because it wasn't a symbol of   
the royal families, but that of an avatar.  
  
"What the hell do you mean by that?" Kipp growled, angrily   
grabbing Hyperion's cloak. "Who's going to save them?"   
  
"You," Hyperion replied simply.  
  
"Me? How am I supposed to do that when I'm dead?" Kipp spat,   
pushing Hyperion away.  
  
"Whatever gave you that idea?" Hyperion asked, genuinely amused.  
  
"Well, let me see, my body's perfectly fine, I'm in some place   
that's completely white, oh, and you're here," Kipp growled.  
  
"So?" Hyperion asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"You died, and the dead go to the afterlife," Kipp pointed out.   
"You and I are the same, but you're personality was locked away inside   
my head, and the only way I can possibly see you would be if I died, or   
if somebody released you, which I'm fairly certain nobody did."  
  
"Partially correct," Hyperion nodded. "But not entirely."  
  
"How so?" Kipp sneered.  
  
"Like they say, there is more then one way to skin a cat,"   
Hyperion smiled kindly. "And stress is one way to unlock the seal,   
another is a wish."  
  
"And I wished to be as strong as you," Kipp breathed.  
  
"Exactly, and you know where my power comes from don't you,"   
Hyperion unsheathed his sword.  
  
"You are the Knight of Eternity, avatar of the Archangel   
Eternity," Kipp said.  
  
"And in order for you to get my power, you too must become a   
Knight of Eternity," Hyperion held out his sword, hilt first.  
  
"But aren't you me?" Kipp asked, confused.  
  
"Partially," Hyperion sighed. "You see, the powers were given to   
me, and to me alone, but technically, you are me."  
  
"So what's the problem?" Kipp asked.  
  
"The powers were sealed away like our memories, to be unlock only   
when you have accepted the oath," Hyperion explained. "The very same   
oath I took when I received the powers."  
  
"So, what is this oath?" Kipp asked, reaching for the blade.  
  
"Swear, swear upon this blade, upon you soul, that you will always   
fight for the ideals Queen Serenity believed in. Use your powers not to   
create another Silver Millennium, but to create a future of your own,"   
Hyperion recited. "Swear it now, and return to help your friends."  
  
"I swear it! Upon the Blade of Eternity, upon my immortal soul, I   
will fight to uphold the very principles and morals Queen Serenity   
believed in, to help those weaker then myself, to protect the innocent,   
and to use the Powers of Eternity to help create a better future, this   
do I swear!" Kipp whispered, his voice getting louder with each word.  
  
And then everything returned to normal. Daecar stood in front of   
him, holding Hikari by her hair, except now Kipp knew what he had to do.   
Closing his eyes, Kipp focused his mind, and sent a single mental   
command to the ruins of Atlantis, a command that hadn't been used in   
over 14 000 years.  
  
  
  
"What are you trying to do boy?" Daecar sneered, hearing the   
mental call. "Calling a long dead angel?"  
  
"no," Kipp whispered. "i'm calling for my legacy."  
  
"*Sigh* Dammit, the boy's snapped from the strain," Daecar growled   
in frustration. "There's no fun if he can't even understand what I'm   
going to do."  
  
And from the east came a bolt of green energy, raging like a mad   
dragon. Before Daecar could even react, the bolt slammed into his   
chest, throwing him away from Hikari, and back into the warehouse. As   
it floated in the air, the green orb of energy settled over Kipp's body.   
Smiling weakly, Kipp struggled to his feet and reached for the green   
energy, just as Daecar burst out of the warehouse.  
  
"SCREW IT!!" the demon hollered. "I'LL KILL YOU FIRST!!!!"  
  
Narrowing his eyes, Kipp reached up and grabbed the emerald   
Eternity symbol within the orb. Instantly, energy began to course   
across his body, energizing him in one of the most painful ways known to   
the Atlantian, the most painful, but the most effective. The energy   
ran over the length of his body, healing broken bones, knitting flesh,   
and rejuvenating the battle wary warrior. But the healing was not   
without cost as Kipp let loss an agonizing scream. Even as the energy   
held Kipp, it lashed out, attacking Daecar whenever the demon came too   
close for comfort.  
  
"What's this?!" the demon growled in impotent fury. "Come out and   
fight, or I'll kill your friends."  
  
Kipp slowly lifted his head, turning glowing brown-green eyes upon   
the demon. Tilting his head to the side, Kipp frowned listening to   
something only he could hear.  
  
Hyperion whispered in his head.  
  
Kipp asked, clutching the Eternity   
talisman in his hand.  
  
Hyperion explained.  
  
Kipp asked, eyeing Daecar warily.  
  
Hyperion supplied.   
  
I see... Kipp frowned again.   
  
Hyperion laughed at that.   
  
Kipp grinned.  
  
  
Hyperion said, then 'nodded' when Kipp complied.   
  
Kipp slowly turned his eyes back to Daecar, and grinned. Raising   
the talisman above his head, Kipp stared upward, and shouted a single   
word to the heavens.  
  
"ETERNITY!"  
  
The talisman shattered in his grasp, the green shards forming a   
perfect halo above his head. As the halo fell, every part of Kipp's   
body that it passed altered, becoming more like the mental image of   
Hyperion. The halo reached the ground, but rather then settling on   
there, the shards flew up, and converged directly in front of the   
knight's chest, forming a perfect four-pointed crystal. From the   
crystal, metal emerged from the four points, forming the Blade of   
Eternity. Turning glowing eyes upon the blade, Eternity reached out   
and grasped the blade, then swung it in several complex, dazzling, and   
intimidating patterns.  
  
"Now the battle really begins," Hyperion said, finally turning   
back to Daecar. "Let's see how well you fare against my new powers."  
  
"Hahahaha, this is what I've been looking for!" Daecar grinned   
back. "A decent fight! Alright boy, let's rumble!"  
  
The two combatants charged, meeting with a clash of metal against   
bone. Both pressed forward, hoping to gain ground, yet the two were   
equal in strength. Jumping back, both eyed the other warily, claws and   
sword ready.  
  
"Impressive," Daecar said blandly.  
  
"Indeed," Hyperion replied, in a rather bored tone.  
  
A grin tugged at Daecar's lips before the demon rushed forward,   
letting loose a relentless barrage of slashes, pressing Eternity back,   
but in his arrogance, the demon overextended on one of its strikes.   
Without even thinking, Eternity exploited the opening without   
hesitation, slashing upward and giving the demon a rather nasty gash.  
  
"That hurt you little bitch," Daecar growled, one hand over the   
gaping wound.  
  
"Good," Hyperion sneered, rushing forward and delivering his own   
barrage of attacks.  
  
Slowly, but surely, Daecar began to lose ground, stepping slightly   
back with each of Hyperion's raging attacks. Glee, changed to   
amusement, to seriousness, and finally to rage for Daecar. Roaring in   
defiance, Daecar pushed back, renewing his own assault, and pushing   
Hyperion back, till the two were back at square one.  
  
"This is getting us nowhere," Daecar growled, panting slightly.  
  
"Then let's try something new," Hyperion panted, jumping back.  
  
"Magic it is!" Daecar agreed, his eyes crackling with power.  
  
Hyperion nodded, and raised his sword, with his right hand, so   
that the flat was facing Daecar. Fire began to twist and twine all   
along the blade as he placed the palm of his left hand over the side of   
the green jewel facing him. As soon as his palm made contact with the   
jewel, the entire length of the sword burst in to flames.  
  
"BLAZE DRAGON" and he pushed.  
  
From the green jewel, the fire rushed forward in a single long   
column, twisting and turning as if it were alive. As the last of the   
fire left the sword, the torrent of flames, almost twenty-five meters in   
length and five meters in width, 'moulded' itself into the very image of   
the great Asian dragons as it rushed towards Daecar.  
  
Roaring ferally at the sky, Daecar turned his dark eyes to the   
dragon and snarled as he raised his hands so that they were parallel to   
the ground. The demon winced as large blades burst forth from his   
wrist, forming wicked wrist blades. As the dragon closed in on him,   
Daecar crossed his blades, and struck forward, swinging his hands back   
as he went.  
  
"DARK WAVE" and twin slashes of black energy slammed into the   
dragon, creating a massive explosion.  
  
"Equal there too," Daecar growled.  
  
"Think again!" Hyperion cried, as the dragon burst from the   
explosion.  
  
Daecar dove to the side, but to no avail as the fire dragon seemed   
to have a life of its own as it turned and wrapped itself around Daecar,   
its head hovering several meters above his head. As Daecar tried   
futily to free himself, the dragon seemed to give the demon a   
serpentine grin, contracting itself tighter and tighter until the demon   
cried out in agony. Smiling widely, the dragon plunged its head down   
upon the helpless demon and exploded into a fury fireball.  
  
Hyperion smiled grimly, watching the fires burn, satisfied with   
his victory. But that smile soon turned to a frown when Daecar stumbled  
out of the flames, hurt, but still ticking.  
  
"Ouch, if I was any weaker, that might of actually killed me!"   
Daecar winced, dusting the sot off of himself.  
  
"Next strike will however," Hyperion sneered.  
  
"I think not," Daecar grinned evilly, raising a fist to his face.  
  
"STOP" a voice bellowed out from the night.  
  
"Master!" Daecar cried, falling to his knees.  
  
"Master?" Hyperion muttered, dread filling his soul.  
  
"THE MISSION HAS FAILED," the voice called.  
  
"Then I shall return," Daecar murmured, eyes flashing in   
suppressed anger.  
  
"Not if I can help it!" Hyperion cried, snapping out of his stupor   
to rush Daecar.  
  
And yet the demon paid the young knight no attention, for he had   
much bigger concerns in his mind. Scanning the battle field, Daecar   
noted his fallen minions, and smiled ever so slightly to himself. Just   
as Eternity was about to strike, Daecar jumped high, dodging the attack,   
and at the same time, getting a very clear view of the battleground.  
  
"Excellent, this will do nicely," He murmured to himself.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Hyperion asked, even as he prepared   
another spell, his eyes drilling into the demons back.  
  
"Nothing to concern yourself with boy, nothing to concern yourself   
with," Daecar muttered, raising an arm above his head.  
  
"Whatever the fuck you say," Hyperion growled, using his left hand   
to bury the blade of his sword into the ground, while the right hand   
wound up for a throw.  
  
As Daecar's hand started to sprout ghostly tentacles, Hyperion's   
hand started to glow blue with pent up magic. As if by an unspoken   
challenge, the two unleashed their spells at the same moment.  
  
"SOUL STEAL" Daecar roared, taking the souls of his minions into   
his own, and giving him a brief boost of power.  
  
"GRAND TSUNAMI" Infinity yelled, swing his hand over his head, and   
touching it to the ground.  
  
A massive tidal wave of water rolled over Hyperion, leaving him   
relatively dry, and surged forward, crushing everything in its path. But   
even as the water closed in on him, Daecar remained focused on his task,   
waiting for just the right moment to finish his spell.  
  
"Good bye Hyperion, may we meet again," Daecar grinned,   
disappearing just as the water crashed into where he had stood.  
  
"CHIKUSO!!!" Hyperion howled at the sky.  
  
***  
  
Every single one of the observers heaved a great sigh of relief as   
they watched the conclusion of the battle. But the relief was only a   
brief distraction from the greater concerns, like who was Daecar's   
master? How had Kipp known the abilities of the Knight of Eternity?   
And most worrisome, how had a demon learned a variant of the powerful   
spell Soul Reaver, known and used only by the Deaths?  
  
"This isn't good," Apollo thought aloud.  
  
"Of course it isn't!" Urd retorted. "This could very well lead to   
Ragnarok, or whatever you call it!"  
  
"Don't you think I know that?" Apollo snapped. "It's my duty as   
an Alpha class god to make sure things like this don't happen, and it   
just did!"  
  
"Both of you shut up!" Merlin snapped, pointing into the view   
gate. "We have to make sure they're alright first, then we can worry   
about the other things."  
  
"What do you two think you're doing anyways?" Skuld scolded.   
"This isn't the time or place to be talking about these things."  
  
"You are right," Apollo sighed. "I shall consult with Kami-sama   
after we've taken care of out champions."  
  
Merlin flinched at the mention of the word champion, but chose   
not to comment as he floated off towards the scene of the battle.  
  
***  
  
The Gods, and one immortal, arrived at the scene of the battle, to   
find that Hyperion had reverted into Kipp, who was busy setting the   
broken bones of his teammates.  
  
"Kipp!" Merlin called, dropping to the ground, and rushing to his   
disciple. "You did great my boy! Better then I expected of you under   
the situations."  
  
"Arigatou Merlin-sensei," Kipp wearily smiled. "But if you don't   
mind, could you help me heal them first?"  
  
"Of course, of course," Merlin nodded, as began casting a powerful   
healing spell on Hikari.  
  
Skuld winced as she looked at the blooded faces of all the Espers,   
bile rising in her throat as she remembered the sheer brutality that had   
befallen them.  
  
"Is this the price of victory?" Urd asked silently, watching the   
two busy mortals.  
  
"They knew the price when they came," Apollo said, standing   
slightly behind Urd. "They knew, and they were willing to pay the   
price."  
  
"But they're so young..." Skuld began.  
  
"And they are the only ones who have even a remote chance of   
winning," Apollo cut in. "The Senshi would have won if they were here,   
but they aren't, they have more important matters to attend to."  
  
"So you send children to do our work," Urd scowled.  
  
"Not I," Apollo answered resolutely. "Kami-sama."  
  
"And we accept our fate with open arms," Kipp cut in, looking up   
from his work.  
  
"We know, all of us know, and we salute you for it," Apollo   
replied.  
  
"We don't need your acceptance, or your backing," Kipp growled.   
"We need your power."  
  
"We can't give you that," Apollo returned, sadly.  
  
"Then leave us be," Kipp growled, turning his back to the gods.  
  
"Do you not think we would help if we could?" Apollo yelled.   
"Do you not think we would destroy these demons if we could?"  
  
"But you can't, it's as simple as that," Kipp snarled.   
  
"Not by choice, it is by Kami-sama's orders that we stand and   
watch," Apollo protested fiercely. "I hunger for the chance to destroy   
these vile creatures, but I am bound by my oaths."  
  
"Forget it god, forget it," Kipp sighed, waving off Apollo's   
protests.  
  
Hyperion whispered.  
  
Kipp replied   
with much disdain.  
  
Hyperion growled.  
  
Kipp's eyes widened at the revelation.  
  
and Hyperion was gone.  
  
Taking Hyperion's advice to heart, Kipp turned, and eyed the sun   
god warily, comparing the figure before him, to the image within his   
mind. Doubt disappeared, to be replaced with relief, and a little bit   
of shame, which was quickly replaced with child like joy.  
  
"Well, I'll be damned," Kipp whispered, smiling up at the god.   
"Hello Apollo, how are you?"  
  
"Hello Hyperion, it has been a while hasn't it?" Hyperion smiled   
down upon his former charge.  
  
But Kipp had already fainted, the emotion, physical, and mental   
strain having finally caught up with him.  
  
***  
  
This concludes Episode 2 of Deus Patronus, but this story is far from   
finished. Destiny unfolds, lives change, lives end, and lives begin   
anew, next time, on Deus Patronus, Episode 3: My Fate is my own.  
  
***  
  
Authors Blurb: Sorry that took so long people, I just lost my muse   
there, for a while.... that and I've been spending a lot of my time with   
the APC, fine, and the Mega Tokyo forums. This one was really annoying   
in the fact that I didn't know how to lead up to the end, really   
annoying that. Anyhoo, the next episode won't be out for a while, since   
I have a job now, but I promise you that I will finish the first season,   
that I assure you. Anyhoo, C&C will be greatly appreciated, as usual,   
and I'm still looking for some beta-readers. Email me if you care ^___^  
  
Later. 


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